re you experiencing depression? If so, you are not alone and are among the millions of Americans plagued by this mood disorder. A recent article shared new statistical details about how depression in the U.S. is on the rise.
Apparently the diagnosis of depression increased 33% between years 2011 and 2014. (1) Previously, The National Center for Health Statistics reported that antidepressant use jumped 65% in 15 years between 1999 and 2014: from 7.7% of Americans to 12.7% for those 12 and older, twice as high for women than men, and 19.1% for those 60 and older. (2)
The good news, they say, is that "universal depression screenings" are happening more routinely, and that this mood disorder is no longer in the closet: people are talking about it and treating it... with pharmaceutical drugs.
I am left to wonder why this depressive state has grown by leaps and bounds? For one thing, there's a whole lot that has changed in the world since January 1, 2000. It's enough to make anyone depressed. I probably missed something, below, but here are the examples I can recall:
September 11, 2001
The Patriot Act
Ongoing terrorist attacks both domestic and international
Mass murders at schools
Increasing opioid addiction and deaths
Multiple wars in the Middle East
Intense natural disasters: fires, earthquakes, hurricanes, tsunamis, flooding, blizzards and droughts