mind over matter

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Depression: why the obsession?

February 21st, 2008 · 2 Comments

I was just thinking about how my “Depression” category, first in the list, has looked sad lately, so I decided to stop ignoring the frequent depression-related research that trickles through my news feeds. But after creaking open the floodgates, I was crushed by the sheer volume of depression news that’s cranked out every day. I’d noticed it, vaguely, and brushed it aside as boring (think endless headlines like “Depression, Hostility Risky Combination for Heart Disease” and “Getting ‘Off Meds’ Has Consequences”,) but it’s really quite astounding.

 Usually I hate this journalistic shortcut, but in this case it’s telling: a Google News search for “Depression” yields 23,171 hits from today only. Why the deluge of depression-related reporting? I knew depression is common, but I was still surprised to find these statistics on the National Institute of Mental Health’s website:

  • Major Depressive Disorder is the leading cause of disability in the U.S. for ages 15-44.
  • Major depressive disorder affects approximately 14.8 million American adults, or about 6.7 percent of the U.S. population age 18 and older in a given year.
  • While major depressive disorder can develop at any age, the median age at onset is 32.
  • Major depressive disorder is more prevalent in women than in men.

    • It’s great that research is so heavily invested in easing such a common disability. I wonder, does funding for research usually correspond to the prevalence of an illness?

    Tags: depression

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