NOT Shocking: Depression Rates Around the World

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Jun 18, 2010 | 10 Comments

Check out this pretty pink graph that proves money literally doesn’t buy happiness.

So, they say living in the US is better than living in Nigeria…

Thanks to Kate Sedgwick for pointing this one out.

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About the Author

Christine Garvin holds a Masters degree in Holistic Health Education and is a certified Nutrition Educator. She is co-editor of Confronting Love and has written for a variety of health, travel, and relationship sites and magazines. When she is not writing, she gives wellness consultations and choreographs and performs hip-hop and bhangra routines. She currently calls Black Mountain, NC home. Follow her on Twitter @livingwholesoul or on her FB page.

10 Comments »

Kate said:

You’d be depressed, too if Germany were in China.

# 18 June 2010 at 2:31 PM

Victoria said:

China’s “depression rate” is definitely not that low… but the health ministry and health care professionals diagnosis of it is. I am currently living in China as an English teacher at a medical university, and I can safely say that people here have no information or resources whatsoever regarding mental health issues. The popular panacea for a mental health problem or concern is just to prescribe some type of traditional medicine. Counseling and/or support groups are non-existent. At least in America, we acknowledge the problem rather than brushing it under the rug.

# 19 June 2010 at 11:20 PM

christine (author) said:

Victoria, changed!

# 20 June 2010 at 9:38 AM

Victoria said:

thank you

# 27 June 2010 at 10:47 PM

Brendan said:

Christine, it looks like you got trolled. ie, Someone is having a laugh and you played into it. Take a look at the map:

Germany is not in Asia (as mentioned)
Japan and Beijing are not in the Middle East
Italy is not in South Asia
Shanghai is not in New Zealand
Netherlands is not in Iceland
Ukraine and Nigeria migrated?

The only properly labeled locations on the entire map are the United States, UK, and France. As a self-described world traveler, it’s surprising you didnt notice any of the discrepancies. As a Californian, it’s amazing you didn’t notice Mexico so far removed from your border.

Maybe what the graphic designer was trying to prove is money literally doesn’t buy geographic literacy in the the United States.

# 3 July 2010 at 2:41 PM

christine (author) said:

Brendan, I didn’t say anything about the graph being accurate when it comes to where the little lines are pointing (believe it or not, I have been to Mexico, Germany, and Italy, so I can at least say I know where those are on a map). The point was the accuracy in depression rates around the world, which as far as I can tell, they got from a 2004 study by the World Health Org and Harvard Med School: http://www.forbes.com/2007/02/15/depression-world-rate-forbeslife-cx_avd_0216depressed.html.

And that’s not worth laughing about.

# 3 July 2010 at 2:59 PM

Matt said:

Sunlight!

?

# 23 July 2010 at 8:27 PM

rianne said:

if you want to be taken serious you might want to place the tags on the right countries…

# 25 May 2011 at 4:02 AM

christine (author) said:

Rianne, I didn’t make the graph. Again, yes they point to the wrong countries on the map, but the stats are correct based off this article: http://www.forbes.com/2007/02/15/depression-world-rate-forbeslife-cx_avd_0216depressed.html.

# 25 May 2011 at 6:57 PM

Edan said:

Depression are lower because they have not heard of depression, in other cultures the westernized version of psychology is not necessarily relevant.

# 20 June 2011 at 4:14 AM