Talk about Depression.

As a student nurse, I feel like I should really be mentioning a lot more posts about health promotion and awareness.

That’s why I’m going to do a Mental Health related post because its Mental Illness Awareness Week!

More specifically, today (October 10th) is National Depression Screening Day! So if you, or someone you know, has had an inkling that something is a bit off in their lives and that feeling doesn’t seem to resolve, there’s free screenings offered through the website “Help yourself. Help others.”

I’m not sure why there is such a stigma about depression, although no one can deny that it exists. People go through so much in their life times, its no wonder that the statistics for depression are so high.

I’d like to leave some of these statistics with you all so that you can become more aware of how problematic this health issue is, and why it needs to be talked about.

• 3 million men are affected by depression in the United States
• Men are 4 times as likely to die by suicide
• Women 18 to 45 years of age account for the largest proportion of people suffering from depression
• 10 percent to 15 percent of women experience a clinical depression during pregnancy or after the birth of a baby
• Latinos are more likely to present “somatic” symptoms of depression, like body aches and nervousness
• One out of four young adults will experience a depressive episode by age 24
• Suicide is the third leading cause of death for those aged 15-24 and the second leading cause of death of college students
• Depression affects more than 6.5 million of the 35 million Americans who are 65 years or older

The CDC has some more statistics and information about depression.

Depression can be caused by a variety or combination of different factors. No one chooses to be depressed. Start talking about it. Seek out resources about depression, especially those in your local community.

I recommend that you give Kevin Breel’s TED talk, “Confessions of a depressed comic” a listen as well.

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