NOT Shocking: Depression Rates Around the World

Jun 18, 2010 | 7 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.

About the Author

Christine Garvin is a certified Nutrition Educator and holds a MA in Holistic Health Education. She is co-editor of Brave New Traveler and a featured author at Healthier Talk. When she is not out traveling the world, she is busy writing, doing yoga, and performing hip-hop and bhangra. She also likes to pretend living in her hippie town of Fairfax, CA is like being on vacation.

7 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