Major depression is a common diagnosis in the United States. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, roughly 16.2 million American adults experience at least one depressive episode in a given year. In addition, 3.1 million adolescents have had at least one major depressive episode.
While certain populations may be more or less affected by depression, this mental health disorder doesn’t discriminate. There is no “face” of depression.
Worldwide, it’s the leading cause of disability, and yet only 63% of people who experience symptoms of depression receive the care they need to manage their disorder. This may be due to lack of resources and the stigma surrounding mental health issues.
Even though conversations around depression have been in the spotlight more and more in recent years, this mental health disorder is often misunderstood and misrepresented in popular culture.
To break through the myths that often lead to stigma, we talked to real-life people living with mental illness and asked, “What do you wish more people knew about depression?”
Here’s what they had to say.
Sources:
https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/major-depression.shtml
http://www.who.int/en/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/depression
NPS-IE-NP-00025 September 2020