Depression Statistics

It's amazing, and very sad to see some of the statistics about depression. Someone who's depressed often feels very alone in their struggle. These statistics can help give a sense of perspective around this common, growing, debilitating 'unseen' condition.

Depression can hit anyone, regardless of age, gender, status or race. It’s a common mental illness that has affected an estimated number of over 350 million people worldwide, according to the World Health Organization (fact sheet October 2012). [a] With a growing rate of increase, depression can be the 2^nd most disabling medical condition worldwide next to heart disease, in the year 2020. [c]

In the United States, there has been an increasing rate of people suffering from depression in the past 50 years. Research shows that the major depression rates for American adults increased from 3.33% to 7.06% for the years 1991-2002. [f]

Alarming Statistics On Depression

One of the alarming statistics on depression is that it’s known to be the cause of 850,000 suicides each year. [b] The highest suicide rates are identified to be among the elderly men. [f] The first onset of major depression occurs mostly between the ages of 25-29. [c] The average age of someone diagnosed with depression is at 32. For those aged 65 and above, the depression rate drops to 6.8%. [f] Although depression is known to hit at any age, the increasing growth is seen mostly in young people. [d] In the United States alone, depression affects an estimated number of 14.8 million American adults or 6.7% of the population ages 18 and above. It’s considered as the leading cause of disability for ages 15-44. [d]

Cost statistics - Increasing Amount Of Expenses For Mental Health Care

In the 10 year gap between 1996 and 2006, research shows that there’s a growing number of Americans paying for mental health services. It has increased 87.6% in 10 years. The cost for mental health care also shows a steady increase that reached 63.4%. [e]

Geographical Statistics - Do some countries suffer more than others?

A study was performed among nearly 90,00 people, and it indicated that over 5% of the population in high-income countries, including the United States had suffered from depression within the previous 12 months. It was also found out that China had the lowest number of residents with depression, at only 12% of its population. The highest reported depression rate is in India. 36% of the country’s population are reported to suffer from a Major depressive episode or MDE. [b]

According to the National Institute of Mental Health or NIMH, African-Americans have a lower rate of suffering from depression compared to whites. However, a study conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or CDC in 2010 suggests that the African-Americans have the highest rate of depression at 12.8%, followed by the Hispanics at 11.4%, and then the whites at 7.9%. Furthermore, it has been found that the places with the highest levels of depression are Alabama, Mississippi and West Virginia. The depression rate in Mississippi is at 14.8%. Places with the lowest levels of depression include North Dakota, Minnesota, Alaska and Iowa. The lowest depression rate is in North Dakota, at 4.8%. [f]

It has been found out that where you live can have an effect on your risk of suffering from depression. Some factors that can contribute to the rates of depression in any given place include access to proper health care, the population’s level of education and the availability of jobs. [f]

In a traditional society, such as the Amish society in the US and the Kaluli tribe of New Guinea, major depression is almost unheard of. It can be attributed to the fact that in traditional communities, the basic need for emotional support is being met. Most people with depression were found to have a lack of emotional support. This is especially true in the modern society. Nowadays, society tends to be more ‘self-focused’ instead of being one with the rest of the community. [c]

Gender Statistics - Men and Women

Compared to men, women are most likely to suffer from depression twice as much. The reasons for this may not be well defined. However, a woman’s complex hormone can be one of the factors that can be attributed to a women’s higher risk of depression. Women go through hormonal changes during menstruation, pregnancy, childbirth and menopause. Another factor is too much stress due to the challenging and sometimes multiple responsibilities of women in the modern society. [g]

Furthermore, according to the Office for National Statistics or ONS, more women than men reported that they suffered from depression. It’s most common for women between the ages of 50-54 to suffer from anxiety and depression. [h]

Work related statistics - Depression In The Workplace

Research shows that 1 in 20 employees can suffer from depression. If left untreated, depression can lead to a decreased productivity rate and an increase in the number of sick days. Some of the changes caused by depression in the workplace include problems with decision making, poor concentration, lack of enthusiasm at work and an increase in the occurrence of work errors and accidents.

Studies show that in a given 3-month period, employees suffering from depression miss an average of 4.8 workdays and suffer from a reduced level of productivity in approximately 11.5 days.

Research shows that the highest rates of workers experiencing a major depressive episode or MDD were found in the personal care and service occupations at 10.8% and the food preparation and serving related occupations at 10.3%. Whereas, occupations with the lowest rates of depression include those working in the engineering, architecture and surveying sectors at 4.3%; life, physical and social science at 4.4% and installation, maintenance and repair at 4.4%.

Some of the identified common causes of stress in the workplace include high job demands, lack of social support in the workplace, and low job control. There are lots of evidence gathered showing the link between job stress and depression. However, there’s only little evidence about the interventions carried out by companies to prevent depression in the workplace. [i]

Treatment statistics - Sufferers Seeking Treatment

Depression is a treatable mental disorder. 80% of those who seek treatment have been found to show improvements. [g]

Only less than 50% of depression sufferers are known to seek treatment. In some countries, only less than 10% of those with depression receive treatments. [a]

Approximately 74% of Americans, who seek treatment for depression, will seek help from a primary care physician than a mental health professional. This information is significant because 50% of the diagnosis of depression is missed in a primary care setting.

In the 1990’s, the rate of depression treatment significantly increased from .73% in 1987 to 2.33% in 1997. The use of antidepressant medications increased from 37.3% to 74.5 %. Whereas, the use of psychotherapy in treating depression decreased from 71.1% to 60.2%. [j]

Medical statistics - Depression Due To An Underlying Medical Condition

Approximately 5-10% of patients with medical illnesses in the primary care settings suffer from depression. The more severe the medical condition is, the higher the chances that a patient will experience clinical depression. Most often, someone with depression have problems with following a medication regimen. This can get in the way of treating an underlying medical condition.

Statistics show that 40-65% of patients who have experienced heart attack suffer from depression. 18-20% of those who have coronary heart disease, but haven’t had a heart attack are diagnosed with depression. 

10-27% of stroke survivors suffer from depression that lasts for about a year. In addition, 15-40% of stroke survivors experience symptoms of depression within 2 months after the stroke.

1 in 4 cancer patients are diagnosed with depression. Depression can sometimes be mistaken as a side effect of chemotherapy. There are some depression symptoms that are mistaken for similar cancer symptoms, such as insomnia and loss of appetite, weight and energy.

Adults diagnosed with diabetes have a 25% chance of suffering from depression. 70% of patients with diabetic complications can also be affected by depression. [k]

Demographic statistics - Who Tends to be Most Depressed?

Depression is most commonly seen in people ages 45-64. It occurs more in women than in men. It has been found that other common criteria for those who are likely to suffer from major depression are those with less than a high school education, those who are previously married, unemployed, and those who don’t have an insurance coverage. [l]

The Office for National Statistics or ONS revealed that people who are divorced or separated tend to be most depressed compared to those who are single or married. It has been found out that 27% of these are more prone to suffering from a mild to moderate mental health problem. Only 20% of those who are single and 16% of married people or those who are in a civil partnership show signs of being depressed. [h]

Drug statistics - Number of People Taking Antidepressants

In 2011, a report released by the National Center for Health Statistics or NCHS showed that the rate of antidepressant use in the United States among people ages 12 and older increased by almost 400% between the years 1988-1994 and 2005-2008. 

It has been found that about 1 in every 10 Americans takes antidepressant medications. In 2005-2008, the data on prescription drug use collected by the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey indicated that antidepressant drugs were the 3^rd most commonly prescribed medication taken by Americans.

Women ages 40-50 had the highest percentage of those who take antidepressants at 23%. It has been found that women are more than twice as much to take antidepressants than men. 14% of non-Hispanic white people take antidepressants. Only 4% of non-Hispanic blacks and 3% of Mexican Americans are on depression medications. [m]

According to the NHS England’s Psychiatric Morbidity Survey or PMS, there are places where the number of prescribed antidepressants is more than the number of people with depression and anxiety in that particular place. In Lincolnshire, the population of those who are suffering from mental illness is only 58,700 and yet the reported number of antidepressant prescriptions issued each month reached up to 75,500. Similarly, in Country Durham, 63,700 prescriptions were issued, where only 55,300 people were diagnosed with depression. [n]

In Blaenau Gwent, South Wales, 10,000 people are prescribed with antidepressant drugs each month. 1in every 6 people in this place are taking antidepressants. The annual bill for antidepressant drugs alone in this area reaches up to £600,000.

1 in 3 women take antidepressant drugs at some point in their lives. Only 1 in 10 men are reported taking antidepressants.

In a study made by the women’s campaign group platform 51, it was found out that almost 50% of women taking drugs continue to take them for at least 5 years. A quarter of them use antidepressants for 10 years or even more. [o]

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