February 19, 2007

• Well, since a) they've studied only 14 countries, and b)there isn't a decent graph or even a clear list, I can only conclude that depression runs high in the USA. Depressing, really.
• > b)there isn't a decent graph or even a clear list, I found this quite frustrating, and it made me anxious. Really, why does Forbes insist on obfuscating the information in its articles? These slideshows should be additional to the content, not replacing it. At a more general level, mental health is primarily a concern of wealthier nations.
• The results should definitely be compared to the ones from the study "How depressing is your country".
• The rates of "diagnosed" depression and the rates of actual depression are very different things.
• To echo roryk -- I think this reflects nothing more than a willingness to diagnose/report depression, and the means by which to treat it. I'd be interested to see if Canada's rates are seasonal -- if depression runs high in winter, and lesser in BBQ season (deck, not garage). Tuesday, we're supposed to be over Zero for the first time in weeks! Yay!
• So the US is very depressed and Nigeria hardly depressed at all. There can only be one explanation... In Nollywood you can make a rubbish feature film for a few thousand dollars, whereas in Hollywood you need tens of millions.
• I find the research done on this depressing, and I wash my hands of the whole subject.
• It's hard to worry about being depressed when you have to wrestle 200 pound squirrels so that you can eat the last handful of moist leaves in the village.
• I found the difference in rates between Beijing (2.5%) and Shanghai(1.7%) interesting. Um, so what's eatin' Beijing?
• I think rates of depression are strongly linked to rates of kickbacks to doctors for prescribing the latest brain candy.
• 1. Forbes' popups can fuck right off. 2. I don't suffer from depression (but I am a carrier) 3. I don't know about depression, but the UK is great at treating children poorly.
• isn't it obvious that places like the US are just much more heavily populated with whiners?
• Yes, but the rest of us were too polite to mention it.
• Sorry, I can't hear you over the rattling of my Zoloft bottle.
• really? cause I found that the prozac really improved my hearing.
• To get serious for a moment, I don't know if the stats in the story hold water, but I wouldn't be surprised if the U.S. population does suffer more depression than many other populations. 2 reasons: 1. The breakdown of community (rise of the suburbs, increase in hours worked, rise of divorce), and 2. The terrible and in-your-face income inequality in U.S. society (since as the research shows happiness is determined more by one's wealth relative to one's peers than by one's absolute wealth).
• Sorry, bit of a touchy subject for me, as several of my family members have probably had their lives saved by antidepressants and therapy for depression.
• Sorry, bit of a touchy subject for me, as several of my family members have probably had their lives saved by antidepressants and therapy for depression. Me too - I wouldn't joke about Zoloft if I weren't actually taking it myself. Depression is an ugly monster and sometimes laughing at him takes away some of his power.
• yes me too, HW dear! I am in fact on prozac and it's made an amazing difference in my life (as has the celexa for my sister etc...) it is a very serious issue, indeed.
• Not trying to spoil the party--just wanted some indication that folks "get it." Gracias. Now, party on!
• Oh, I get that 'real' depression is serious. I just know way too many people on those pills who really shouldn't be. Doctors can be lazy.
• My ex-partner was on Seroxat, which was found to increase suicidal thoughts in a numebr of teenagers. She had to wean herself off it over a period of months because of the nausea and anxiety it caused.
• Not trying to start a fight, rocket, but I have to say that I hear a lot of people say things like what you said, and it always makes me think: Do you really KNOW that they shouldn't be taking antidepressants? How? Do you know the secrets of their psyche? Often people who are depressed manage to put on an undepressed facade, so if it's just that they don't seem depressed enough, I'd recommend revisiting your assumptions. It's too easy to do glib drive-by diagnoses.
• Aah, you just need to get laid.
• I keed, I keed.
• I'm not a doctor, so my comment was more of a glib drive-by opinion. I will say, though, that I had far more insight into the secrets of their psyche that the doctor who wrote the prescription after a ten minute consultation. I know others whose depression was situational...caused by a break-up or a stressful relationship. Their medication went long after the situation had subsided, because they felt "better" with the meds than without them. I don't want to diminish in any way the seriousness of depression or the miracle that SSRIs provide to sufferers. I just think it's a wonderful, useful drug that is overprescribed, like Ritalin, because treating the symptoms is so much easier than finding and treating the cause.
• > others whose depression was situational I know two people who were prescribed Prozac after the death of a loved one, and I've heard of another half dozen cases. This seems to me like an unnecessary chemical intervention in a normal process of grief. I see a tendency in the medical profession to favour pharmaceuticals in cases where human contact (e.g. counselling) would likely be more effective.
• Also, I DO need to get laid. Someone tell my girlfriend.
• We have pills for that, too.
• it is true that SSRIs can be very helpful for shortterm or situational depression, and it's great to have these things available. yet we all know that various "wonder meds" have gone thru eras of rampant over-prescription, which is not a good thing. look at the traditional tendency to give antibiotics for viral things. I was just at Kaiser the other day and there are signs all over the doc's office warning that antibiotics dont work for colds and flus, only for bacteria (which, to me, indicates that many people still "demand" antibiotics from their docs for colds/flus etc.,) I have "real" depression and I have been on Prozac for a coupla years now, but man, when I go to my psychiatrist, she gives out the meds like candy. last time I was there she urged me to take ativan more often.
• We live in an often depressing world, and sometimes there's not much else to do about it.
• There's always booze.
• Amen, brother.
• 30 Valuable Lessons That Americans Can Learn From the Rest of the World
• I was surprised to discover those weren't bombing coordinates. /Flame on!
• How Americans see themselves (cartoon).
• I take my mental pictures off bluegrass ballads, so you'd all damn well better be pickin' on the porch for a ticket to Nashville if I ever do get to come. Singing doowop round a brazier on a street corner will be an acceptable substitute.
• Ain't nobody singin' doowop round my brassiere.
• My momma done stoled our family Bible so that we could love Jesus even though daddy was a drunk, does that help? *plays the spoons*
• On a grimmer index, America has more people in prison-2,135,900-than any other country in the world. Yup. We loves us some punishment. There was a thread somewhere where this fact was questioned. Let the word go out henceforth that US News has spoken. *thunder*
• Employer-sponsored depression outreach, including telephone-based counseling, is good for business as well as workers. Seems like common sense, but hopefully the study will convince tightwad HR managers to buy in.