3 ms·

I can't believe the UK is that low either. I wonder if it's because of the clinical depression is defined as something more serious than "taking anti-depressant

by porker 13y ago

I can't believe the UK is that low either. I wonder if it's because of the clinical depression is defined as something more serious than "taking anti-depressants or having CBT/Counselling"?

DanBC 13y ago
Anti-depressants should be limited to people with moderate to severe depression, not used by people with mild depression. So anti-depressant use would be a sign that the person needs to be included. I agree with you - I don't understand how they got such a low rate for their map. NHS data for 2010-2011 gives 4.7 million people. For a population of about 60 million that's 7.8%. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-19967037 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-19967037
roel_v 13y ago
Therapy and medication work to treat depression (not for everybody, but considered at macro level, they work). If you'd actually read the paper (which it seems few people commenting have done, or maybe you/they don't understand), by using DALY's (an accepted (by the community) proxy for 'impact' of a disease), they account for the fact that since people in Western countries get treatment at higher levels, the effects are less. E.g. if I get depressed and get treatment, and work through this in a year, and somebody in Central Africa gets it and lives with it for 15 years, then objectively I am better off and should be counted at 1/15 th in the study (well actually you can debate that - you can say 'I study the amount of people who get depressed'. Which is fine, but different, and imo not nearly as interesting, except maybe for when you look at the genetic disposition for depression). I don't understand why people in this thread are so keen on trying to hold on to the position that depression in the West is high compared to other places, or even how they get to this position in the first place. To me it's quite self-evident that living in constant fear of being shot, blown up or just starving to death is more depressing than having to go through the agony of standing in traffic an hour before you can go home and eat a warm meal before falling asleep in front of the tv (to just name an example of what I've heard people as reasons on why life in the West is so 'stressing' and 'depressing').
- DanBC 13y ago
  The map is titled "Prevalence of diagnosed clinical depression". It seems reasonable to complain that the diagram is confusing when it gives a rate of 4% for the UK, when UK NHS figures give higher rates. > I don't understand why people in this thread are so keen on trying to hold on to the position that depression in the West is high compared to other places I don't think that's happened in this particular sub-thread. One reason it happens is that some countries have better diagnosis than others. (Rates may be higher in developing nations, but cases are undiagnosed.) > To me it's quite self-evident that living in constant fear of being shot, blown up or just starving to death is more depressing than having to go through the agony of standing in traffic an hour before you can go home and eat a warm meal before falling asleep in front of the tv (to just name an example of what I've heard people as reasons on why life in the West is so 'stressing' and 'depressing'). That manages to be fantastically ignorant of developing nations and mental illness. EDIT: Maybe I'm being stupid but I can't find that map in the linked research. I go to figures and scroll through. http://www.plosmedicine.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pmed.1001547 http://www.plosmedicine.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fj...

by porker 13y ago

I can't believe the UK is that low either. I wonder if it's because of the clinical depression is defined as something more serious than "taking anti-depressants or having CBT/Counselling"?

DanBC 13y ago

Anti-depressants should be limited to people with moderate to severe depression, not used by people with mild depression. So anti-depressant use would be a sign that the person needs to be included. I agree with you - I don't understand how they got such a low rate for their map. NHS data for 2010-2011 gives 4.7 million people. For a population of about 60 million that's 7.8%. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-19967037 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-19967037

roel_v 13y ago

Therapy and medication work to treat depression (not for everybody, but considered at macro level, they work). If you'd actually read the paper (which it seems few people commenting have done, or maybe you/they don't understand), by using DALY's (an accepted (by the community) proxy for 'impact' of a disease), they account for the fact that since people in Western countries get treatment at higher levels, the effects are less. E.g. if I get depressed and get treatment, and work through this in a year, and somebody in Central Africa gets it and lives with it for 15 years, then objectively I am better off and should be counted at 1/15 th in the study (well actually you can debate that - you can say 'I study the amount of people who get depressed'. Which is fine, but different, and imo not nearly as interesting, except maybe for when you look at the genetic disposition for depression). I don't understand why people in this thread are so keen on trying to hold on to the position that depression in the West is high compared to other places, or even how they get to this position in the first place. To me it's quite self-evident that living in constant fear of being shot, blown up or just starving to death is more depressing than having to go through the agony of standing in traffic an hour before you can go home and eat a warm meal before falling asleep in front of the tv (to just name an example of what I've heard people as reasons on why life in the West is so 'stressing' and 'depressing').

DanBC 13y ago
The map is titled "Prevalence of diagnosed clinical depression". It seems reasonable to complain that the diagram is confusing when it gives a rate of 4% for the UK, when UK NHS figures give higher rates. > I don't understand why people in this thread are so keen on trying to hold on to the position that depression in the West is high compared to other places I don't think that's happened in this particular sub-thread. One reason it happens is that some countries have better diagnosis than others. (Rates may be higher in developing nations, but cases are undiagnosed.) > To me it's quite self-evident that living in constant fear of being shot, blown up or just starving to death is more depressing than having to go through the agony of standing in traffic an hour before you can go home and eat a warm meal before falling asleep in front of the tv (to just name an example of what I've heard people as reasons on why life in the West is so 'stressing' and 'depressing'). That manages to be fantastically ignorant of developing nations and mental illness. EDIT: Maybe I'm being stupid but I can't find that map in the linked research. I go to figures and scroll through. http://www.plosmedicine.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pmed.1001547 http://www.plosmedicine.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fj...