Healthline: Why experts call depression a global health crisis
The World Health Organization reports that 5% of adults worldwide live with depression, but approximately 75% of people with depression do not get the treatment they need. Experts in the field say that depression is a global health crisis.
Maria Espinola, PsyD, assistant professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, told Healthline that depression is not simply feeling unhappy at times.
"Depression, on the other hand, is a serious mental health disorder that interferes with your daily functioning by affecting how you think, feel, and act,” she explained.
Espinola said depression was a major issue prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, but the pandemic has worsened the problem. She said to address the problem, it will be important to address areas including stigma, social determinants of health, trauma, income inequality, gender inequities and all forms of discrimination.
Featured photo courtesy of Unsplash.
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