Hello. I'm Stephen M. Strakowski. I'm the founding chair of the new Department of Psychiatry at the new Dell Medical School at the University of Texas in Austin. Today I want to talk about depression and follow up on some implied discussion in a previous recording that we had a number of months ago.
Major Depression Overview
Major depression is among one of the most common ailments, and it may be the most common major medical problem once we eliminate viruses and so forth. About 7% of people are affected with depression annually, and there is somewhere around a 17% lifetime risk to perhaps as high as 1 in every 5 people.[1] Most people have either dealt with depression themselves or have family members or friends who've struggled with depression.
There are a number of studies that don't always agree, but in some studies it looks like depression is the leading cause of disability worldwide.[2]If not the leading cause, it's certainly one of the top two or three causes. There are higher rates in women, although there is some debate about that; it may be that it's just missed more often in men. It seems to be increased in people living in poverty and in stressful environments.
Depression
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COMMENTARY
Rethinking the 'Cause' of Depression
Stephen M. Strakowski, MD
DisclosuresJune 23, 2017
Hello. I'm Stephen M. Strakowski. I'm the founding chair of the new Department of Psychiatry at the new Dell Medical School at the University of Texas in Austin. Today I want to talk about depression and follow up on some implied discussion in a previous recording that we had a number of months ago.
Major Depression Overview
Major depression is among one of the most common ailments, and it may be the most common major medical problem once we eliminate viruses and so forth. About 7% of people are affected with depression annually, and there is somewhere around a 17% lifetime risk to perhaps as high as 1 in every 5 people.[1] Most people have either dealt with depression themselves or have family members or friends who've struggled with depression.
There are a number of studies that don't always agree, but in some studies it looks like depression is the leading cause of disability worldwide.[2]If not the leading cause, it's certainly one of the top two or three causes. There are higher rates in women, although there is some debate about that; it may be that it's just missed more often in men. It seems to be increased in people living in poverty and in stressful environments.
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Any views expressed above are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect the views of WebMD or Medscape.
Cite this: Rethinking the 'Cause' of Depression - Medscape - Jun 23, 2017.
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Authors and Disclosures
Authors and Disclosures
Author
Stephen M. Strakowski, MD
Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience, Psychology, and Biomedical Engineering, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine; Senior Vice President, Strategy and Transformation, University of Cincinnati Health, Cincinnati, Ohio
Disclosure: Stephen M. Strakowski, MD, has disclosed the following relevant financial relationships:
Serve(d) as a director, officer, partner, employee, advisor, consultant, or trustee for: Roche; Procter & Gamble; Novartis; Sunovion
Received income in an amount equal to or greater than $250 from: Roche; Procter & Gamble; Novartis; Sunovion; Oxford University Press