Depression Statistics And How To Beat Them

Just like a great deal of illnesses, depression does not discriminate about who it strikes. Young or old, rich or poor, Anglo,Afro-American, or Hispanic, depression is definitely an equal opportunity tyrant.

Making matters worse is the fact that our society has a tendency to find humor in depression and the entertainment media often pokes fun at the situation, or its effects.

Also making things difficult is often a left over thought that depression isn't really a "real" illness at all but an issue that just those with additional , serious, mental conditions get.

This is simply not at all the case. The Nation Institute of Mental Health's (NIMH) latest estimates is the fact that probably greater than 20 million people in the U.S. currently experience depression. If you think that you too are afflicted by depression, you are not alone .

Depression Statistics by Gender
Medical researchers have long known that women are about twice as likely to develop depression as are men. Whilst most of the research points to a woman's complex hormones being the main reason, some think that at least some may well be brought on by the challenging and sometimes conflicting roles women are required to play in our contemporary society.

Women must pay close attention to their own behaviors and be on watch for symptoms of depression. This is particularly true immediately after childbirth and during menopause.

Depression in the workplace
In the workplace depression statistics of the World Health Organization (WHO) indicate depression is one of the most frequent reason behind disability among adults aged 15 to 44 years. NIMH's research indicates that workplace stress accounts for $12 billion in lost productivity annually.

These numbers indicate the American business has yet to fully understand the situation and provide the workforce with effective tools to cope with it.

Treatment
Just a very small number of the 20 million or so sufferers ever seek treatment for depression. This is a tragedy because some depression statistics indicate that, of those who do seek treatment, some 80 percent have made at least some progress at the end of six weeks.

If you are one of the 20 million who suffer from depression, two things you can do immediately to begin to deal with the problem are:

 * Begin a sensible exercise program.  Even if this is parking at the back of the lot or taking a flight or two of stairs you need to get more physical activity than you do now.
 Exercise is a mood enhancer and it will help your heart too.
 *Enhance your Diet
 Supplement your diet with B vitamins, folic acid, and omega-3 fatty acids.  Omega-3 fatty acids have been shown to reduce depression and also provide DHA fatty acids to the brain.
 Vitamin B and folic acid are also very useful in dealing with stress; B is a natural depression cure and folic acid is vital to your body's ability to process medications.

Learn more about stress, depression, and healthy living at Control Stress

Two more articles about beating stress can be read here and here.