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Depression Rates by Country 2024

worldpopulationreview.com

31–40 of 42 posts

Re: Depression Rates by Country 2024

#31
post #16

One surprise in these numbers is that Africa seems to be doing better than Latin America when I would have expected them to be close to each other given the economic difficulties, violence and lack of perspective for large swaths of the population.

Often times what is understood by first-worlders as "depression" is a cluster of problems that uniquely affect decently well-off people who have been spiritually and physically subjugated by an spiritually blank industrial bureaucracy. If you measure stress, hunger, sorrow, fear, scarcity, etc. you'll find higher levels among the global poor, but if you measure "malaise, sadness, lack of purpose, emptiness, yearning…

I don't know, there's a lot of that in the countryside in Brazil, that kinda looks like Africa in a lot of places, maybe not as much loneliness as people and families usually stick together but all the other things are there.

But i can see how a simpler and poorer life will remove the worries of emptiness/lack of purpose when all you can focus on is making ends meet and have enough to eat at the next meal.

Re: Depression Rates by Country 2024

#32
post #16

One surprise in these numbers is that Africa seems to be doing better than Latin America when I would have expected them to be close to each other given the economic difficulties, violence and lack of perspective for large swaths of the population.

Often times what is understood by first-worlders as "depression" is a cluster of problems that uniquely affect decently well-off people who have been spiritually and physically subjugated by an spiritually blank industrial bureaucracy. If you measure stress, hunger, sorrow, fear, scarcity, etc. you'll find higher levels among the global poor, but if you measure "malaise, sadness, lack of purpose, emptiness, yearning…

> with friends and companions from the same culture, with the same spiritual beliefs

What does this have to do with anything? I grew up in a multicultural, multireligious and multilingual part of the third world, and no one ever said or thought that we would be happier if the 'other people' were somehow disappeared. Is this coming from some sections of the modern western society blaming PoC immigrants for their unhappiness?

Re: Depression Rates by Country 2024

#33

What is the original source, and more importantly, methodology, of the data? It appears to reference [0], a 2017 publication, which itself references [1] a 2015 publication, which is a bit of a dead end from a layperson perspective. [0] https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/depression-global-he... [1] https://ghdx.healthdata.org/record/ihme-data/gbd-2015-life-e...

... If that's the which case, "2024" makes this post title misleading. Submitter likely didn't know, but still.

Re: Depression Rates by Country 2024

#34
post #5

One surprise in these numbers is that Africa seems to be doing better than Latin America when I would have expected them to be close to each other given the economic difficulties, violence and lack of perspective for large swaths of the population.

https://old.reddit.com/r/MapPorn/comments/1bmna2e/fertility_... Or to quote Bertrand Russle: > There were once upon a time two sausage machines, exquisitely constructed for the purpose of turning pig into the most delicious sausages. One of these retained his zest for pig and produced sausages innumerable; the other said: 'What is pig to me? My own works are far more interesting and wonderful than any pig.' He refuse…

Aka “quit navel-gazing and get to work”. I like it

Re: Depression Rates by Country 2024

#35
the way it's defined is incredibly broad. it includes people who are so deep in the hole that they can't take care of themselves. but it also includes people who are just cynical and pessimistic

it all sounds too convenient. If we're chucking SSRIs at depressed people, all of these different cases should have the same cause that's addressed by them, right? But how do we know that?

the way it's treated sounds incredibly primitive, just throwing different pills at people and hoping for the best. Doesn't inspire a lot of faith in our current understanding of depression or the mind more generally

Re: Depression Rates by Country 2024

#36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>> I would have expected them to be close to each other given the economic difficulties, violence and lack of perspective What's wrong with violence? I never found violence to be depressing. For me it was sort of the opposite as a young man.

If you can't work or progress in life due to the risk of violence (any work you do and anything you make will be stolen by those perpetrating violence) why would you even bother doing anything?

>> the risk of violence

See, you're doing it again. The "risk of violence"? "why would you even bother doing anything"?

Fight Club covers all this in detail. It really is one of the most inspirational movies ever (and book too I guess).

Violence is OK. It can kill you but so can bacon.

Re: Depression Rates by Country 2024

#37
post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I understand but reject their presumption.

Ok but why?

I don't necessarily agree with what they said. But I do have the thought that for some constantly being in survival mode leaves your brain no time for depression. And it only sets in when you have time to think about stuff. (Disclaimer I am diagnosed with MPD).

When your only focus is on keeping yourself and children and community fed and clothed, you essentially don't have much time to dwell on things, you don't have the time to be depressed because you need to survive. (That's just my thought, and I don't think it's completely accurate either).

Re: Depression Rates by Country 2024

#38
post #18
post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

https://old.reddit.com/r/MapPorn/comments/1bmna2e/fertility_... Or to quote Bertrand Russle: > There were once upon a time two sausage machines, exquisitely constructed for the purpose of turning pig into the most delicious sausages. One of these retained his zest for pig and produced sausages innumerable; the other said: 'What is pig to me? My own works are far more interesting and wonderful than any pig.' He refuse…

This is essentially just (an extremely elegant) rephrasing of Marx's theory of alienation

It isn't.

> To all the talented young men who wander about feeling that there is nothing in the world for them to do, I should say: 'Give up trying to write, and, instead, try not to write. Go out into the world; become a pirate, a king in Borneo, a labourer in Soviet Russia; give yourself an existence in which the satisfaction of elementary physical needs will occupy all your energies.' I do not recommend this course of action to everyone, but only to those who suffer from the disease which Mr. Krutch diagnoses. I believe that, after some years of such an existence, the ex-intellectual will find that in spite of his efforts he can no longer refrain from writing, and when this time comes his writing will not seem to him futile.

Re: Depression Rates by Country 2024

#39
post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Ok but why?

I don't necessarily agree with what they said. But I do have the thought that for some constantly being in survival mode leaves your brain no time for depression. And it only sets in when you have time to think about stuff. (Disclaimer I am diagnosed with MPD). When your only focus is on keeping yourself and children and community fed and clothed, you essentially don't have much time to dwell on things, you don't hav…

I'm from a very small farming family in India. In less developed economies, people are not constantly working. They're only constantly worried.

There's usually not enough work for everyone to go around. So everyone only does the bare minimum required to stay afloat.

This is a slightly different aspect than the "poverty" I'm seeing in the US.

Your point still stands though. More time creates more depression, which is why I believe depression in less developed countries would be higher.

Re: Depression Rates by Country 2024

#40
> The symptoms of depression can range from mild to severe and include the following:

> - A persistent feeling of sadness

> - Loss of interest in activities once enjoyed

> - Changes in appetite – weight loss or gain

> - Trouble sleeping or sleeping too much

> - Loss of energy or increased fatigue

> - Increase in purposeless tasks or physical activities such as pacing

> - Slowed movements and speech

> - Feeling guilty or worthless

> - Difficulty thinking or concentrating

> - Decreased confidence and self-esteem

> - Negative, bleak, or pessimistic attitude

> - Self-harmful or suicidal thoughts or actions

Ha, 8/12 of those are also the symptoms of ageing.

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