ABSTRACT
Chapter 3 explores the prevalence of depression, noting that it is virtually universal – and common – but poses the question of what can we learn about the possible causes of the disorder by examining what segments of the population are more likely affected. With the development in recent decades of standardised assessment instruments that can be used to sample from entire nations and numerous countries across the globe, it has been striking to see that about 1 in 20 adults experience a major depressive episode in a 12-month period, and a lifetime rate of about 1 in 7 in high-income and 1 in 9 in low-middle income countries. When translated into ‘costs’ to society, the global burden of depression is enormous. No segment of the population is spared, but depression is more concentrated among those with lower socioeconomic status, and generally among those in young and middle adulthood. There is a large gender gap in depression with about 2:1 women to men, and the chapter explores potential sources such as status discrepancies in access to opportunities, greater exposure to stressful life conditions including sexual victimisation and women’s different stress reactivity and coping strategies. Chapter 4 discusses biological aspects.
