Even with similar standards of living, culture can play a HUGE role in how these things are talked about. Look at Japan for example, which has a shockingly high

Even with similar standards of living, culture can play a HUGE role in how these things are talked about. Look at Japan for example, which has a shockingly high rate of people who just... walk out of their own lives forever. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jouhatsu https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jouhatsu The discussion around depression and anxiety is also relatively new in Japan, but at the same time the evidence of those issues is not, look at NEETs and Hikikomori, a high suicide rate, and the aforementioned Jōhatsu! The thing is that in Japan there's a very strong tendency to keep that sort of thing in the family, keep it away from prying eyes. Your point about how shame works in different cultures is right on the mark IMO.