The Los Angeles Times (11/5, Morin) reports that, according to a review published in PLoS Medicine, “clinical depression is now the second-leading cause of global disability…with the highest rates of incidence affecting working-age adults and women more than men.” The review found that “depressive disorders were second only to lower respiratory infections when it came to inflicting the most years of disability on people throughout the world.”
BBC News (11/6, Briggs) reports that the authors of the review recommended that depression should “be treated as a global public health priority.” The review also found that the impact of depression appeared to vary in different countries and regions of the world. For example, the highest rates of major depression were found in Afghanistan, while Japan reported the lowest.
Related Links:
— “It’s a sad, sad, sad, sad world: Depression and global disability, “Monte Morin, Los Angeles Times, November 5, 2013.