Indians are among the world's most depressed, says a World Health Organization-sponsored study, while around 9% of people in India reported having an extended period of depression within their lifetime, nearly 36% suffered from what is called Major Depressive Episode (MDE).
MDE is characterized by sadness, loss of interest or pleasure, feelings of guilt or low self-worth, disturbed sleep or appetite, low energy and poor concentration, besides feeling depressed.
The study, published in the BMC Medicine journal and based on interviews of more than 89,000 people in 18 different countries by 20 different researchers, says depression affects nearly 121 million people worldwide. It is the second contributor to shorter lifespan for individuals in the 15-44 age group.
WHO ranks depression as the fourth leading cause of disability worldwide and projects that by 2020, it will be the second leading cause.
Prof Evelyn Bromet from State University of New York said, "This is the first study which compares depression and MDE across countries and cultures. Depression is a significant public-health concern across all regions of the world and is linked to social conditions."
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