Depression top cause of disability, affects young and old - WHO

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has said that more than four per cent of the world's population lives with depression, with women, youth and the elderly, the most prone to its disabling effects.

According to WHO who made the revelation on Thursday February 23, an estimated 322 million people suffered depressive disorders in 2015, a rise of 18.4 per cent in a decade, as people live longer.

Global economic losses exceed $US1 trillion a year, it said, referring to lost productivity due to apathy or lack of energy that lead to an inability to function at work or cope with daily life.

According to the report, depression is 1.5 times more common among women than men with a further 250 million people suffering anxiety disorders, including phobias, panic attacks, obsessive-compulsive behaviour and post-traumatic stress disorder.

Some 80 per cent of those stricken with mental illness live in low- and middle-income countries, removing the stereotype that mental health is a problem for rich nations alone.

Three age groups are particularly vulnerable to depression - youth, pregnant or post-partum women, and the elderly.

About 15 per cent of women will suffer not just 'the blues', but a diagnosable case of depression.

An estimated 800,000 people die from suicide each year, a "pretty horrifying figure", Dr Dan Chisholm of WHO's Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse said.

"It is more common in males in higher income countries but more common in females in lower- and middle-income countries".

The WHO is running a campaign to tackle stigma and misconceptions called Depression: Let's Talk.

"We feel that is a key first step, that if we want to bring mental health, depression and other mental disorders out of the shadows, we need to be able to talk about it," Chisholm said.

Reuters