French People Rival Americans as World’s Most Depressed, WHO Study Finds

[xchrom]

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-07-26/france-u-s-have-highest-depression-rates-in-world-study-suggests.html

More people reported being depressed in France and the U.S. than anywhere in the world, according to interviews of more than 89,000 people in 18 different countries.

The study, sponsored by the World Health Organization, found that 21 percent of people in France and 19.2 percent of people in the U.S. reported having an extended period of depression within their lifetime. On average, 15 percent of people in high-income countries reported having an episode, compared with 11 percent in low-income countries, according to the study, published July 25 in the journal BMC Medicine.

Depression affects nearly 121 million people worldwide and is the second leading contributor to shorter lifespan and poor health for individuals 15-44 years of age, according to the Geneva-based WHO. The higher percentage of depression reported by people in wealthier countries may reflect differences in societal expectations for a good life, said study co-author Ronald Kessler.

“There are a lot of people in the U.S. who say they aren’t satisfied with their lives,” Kessler, a professor of health care policy at Harvard Medical School in Boston, Massachusetts, said in an interview. “U.S. expectations know no bounds and people in other countries are just happy to have a meal on the table.”

[HuckleB]

1. Interesting. Thanks for posting. -eom-

[xchrom]

2. i was surprised.. then i thought -- the french..& then i wasn't surprised. nt