By Susan Brinkmann, OCDS
Staff Journalist
A new study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has found that nearly one in 10 Americans is depressed, and one in 30 meet the criteria for major depression, especially among the unemployed and those who are unable work.
The AFP is reporting that nine percent of the 235,000 adults surveyed between 2006 and 2008 met the criteria for depression, with 3.4 percent rising to the level of “major” depression.
Among those people who said they were unable to work, 22 percent met the criteria for major depression, as did 10 percent of the unemployed. These numbers are in sharp contrast with the employed, of which only two percent had symptoms of major depression.
Participants suffering from major depression said they experienced at least five of eight symptoms within two weeks of the survey such as feelings of hopelessness and disinterest, if they had trouble falling asleep or slept too much. They were also asked about appetite, concentration, restlessness, lethargy and feelings of failure.
Because the homeless and the incarcerated were not included in the survey, researchers believe the actual number of American adults suffering from depression is significantly higher.
The survey also found that people who had not completed high school tended to suffer more depression than high school graduates. Women were also more susceptible to depression than men and young people were more likely than 65 year-olds to suffer depression. Blacks and Hispanics were also more likely than whites to experience depression.
Depressive disorders are also “more common among persons with chronic conditions”, such as obesity, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, asthma, arthritis and cancer, the study found.
“A person who has a chronic disease and becomes depressed may stop following the directions on their prescription medications and their condition could get worse, which might make them even more depressed,” said study co-author Lela McKnight Eily.
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