In recent years, mental health issues have received increasing attention. Data shows that around 300 million people worldwide are facing sleep disturbances, while the number of people suffering from depression is as high as 340 million, with a prevalence rate of around 11%. When you add in the 1% prevalence of bipolar disorder, the new inclusion of chronic grief disorder in the DSM, and so on, it seems that psychological problems of all kinds have become quite common.
1. Has depression and depressive moods, indeed, become a global epidemic?
2. Does everyone go through depressive phases in their lives, just with different self-healing abilities, durations and manifestations?
3. What are the links between depression and genetic predisposition, cultural background and economic level?
Hi everyone, I'm [give and take] and I'm honored to be a part of this thread.
Regarding depression, we may have been exposed to cases around us in one way or another, but we just didn't know much about it before, and it is easy to ignore its existence.
I remember when I was in junior high school, there was a schoolmate, although I didn't know her well, but she was good-looking, had good grades, and usually didn't smile too much, so I was very impressed. Suddenly, I didn't see her for a few days, and then I heard that she chose to leave in an extreme way. At that moment, my heart was full of mixed feelings - pity, regret, incomprehension, why would someone so good be like that?
I came into contact with psychology during the epidemic when I happened to notice that my children were browsing a lot of articles about depression, especially the messages at the end of the articles from all over the country, many of which were from primary and secondary school students who were complaining about their difficulties. This discovery shocked me and inspired me to study psychology in the hope of doing something to help them.
What exactly is depression? Let's take a brief look:
Depression is one of the most common mental disorders, with typical symptoms including low mood, slow thinking and low energy. Patients may be depressed, lose appetite, have frequent sleep problems, have difficulty concentrating, lose interest, and then avoid socializing, interfere with studies and work, and even become suicidal in severe cases.
Depression is a type of depressive disorder, and symptoms last for at least two weeks to meet the diagnostic criteria.
Regarding question 1: Has depression, depressive mood, become a worldwide epidemic?
I personally believe that depression and depressive moods have indeed become a global "epidemic". From the perspective of the general environment, the increased pressure of survival and competition easily triggers emotional problems. If these emotions are not channeled in a timely manner, they will accumulate over time and exceed the limits of psychological tolerance, leading to "collapse". Patients with moderate to severe depression often lack self-help ability and need support from family, friends or society. When faced with a group of depressed people for a long time, those around them may also be affected, which reflects its "contagiousness".
From the data, depression is already the second biggest health killer of human beings. The latest statistics from WHO show that there are 340 million depressed people in the world. In China, about 200,000 people commit suicide due to depression every year, only 2% of them receive systematic treatment, and 71% of them hide their condition and become "smiling depressives". Moreover, the group of depressed people regardless of age, primary and secondary school students in the case of increased, showing an epidemic trend.
Question 2: Is it possible that everyone may go through periods of depression, just with different self-healing abilities, cycles, and manifestation states?
I think so. Life inevitably has its ups and downs, and setbacks or changes can trigger depressive moods. Each person's personality, perceptions, habits and environment affect how emotions are processed and how long they last. It's like when the seasons change and weak people get colds - some are mild and heal on their own, while others are severe and need medical attention. Depression is similar to an emotional "cold" in that it comes on quickly and goes away slowly, depending on the person.
Question 3: What are the associations between depression and genes, culture, and economic level?
The causes of depression are complex, mostly genes interacting with the environment. Depression runs in the family, and the closer the bloodline, the higher the risk; family education, upbringing, traumatic events and personal cognitive orientation all influence the onset of the disease.