Share:
Evaluation More and more people in the EU are suffering from depression
In recent decades, more and more people are suffering from depression. A recent EU report found that now about 6.8% of the adult population in the EU suffer from depression.
The researchers found in their study that depression among adult people is widespread in the EU. Nearly seven percent of all EU citizens suffer from depression. The people in Hungary seem to be particularly affected. The experts published the results of the study on the website of the Statistical Office of the European Union.
Depression is widespread in today's society. A recent report has now looked at how many adults in every country in the European Union suffer from depression. (Image: chajamp / fotolia.com) Depression makes sufferers happy about life
According to the latest report, 6.8 percent of adult EU citizens suffer from depression. Depression causes a strong ongoing sadness and a loss of interest in any activity that sufferers usually enjoy exercising. In other words, the joy and interest in life is lost, say experts.
Healthy people may also have temporary symptoms of depression
Similar symptoms are also observed at times in healthy people. However, when depression persists for a long time and is severe, the result is a significant loss of quality of life, explain the physicians.
Hungary is the leader in cases of depression in the EU
The figures in the new report make it clear in which countries how many people suffer from depression. According to these figures, most people with depression are in Hungary. There all 10.5 percent of inhabitants suffer from a disease, explain the authors of the report. Hungary is hit hardest by Portugal (10.4 percent) and Sweden (9 percent).
The least depressed people are in the Czech Republic
The lowest number of patients with depression is comparable in the Czech Republic (3.2 percent) and Slovakia (3.5 percent), the scientists explain. Also in Croatia (3.9 percent) and Lithuania (4.1 percent), there are very few people with depression.
Women are generally more likely to suffer from depression
Women seem to be more affected by depression compared to men. The latest EU report shows that 7.9 percent of women are currently struggling with depressive symptoms. In comparison, the value of depressive men is only 5.5 percent, the experts add. 2.9 percent of people affected by depression reported serious depressive symptoms.
The educational level affects the likelihood of depression
Higher levels of education were associated with lower rates of depressive symptoms in the study. The rate of depression in the population with primary or secondary education is twice that of people with tertiary education.
Better earning people are less likely to suffer from depression
In addition, a correlation between income and depressive symptoms was observed. In all EU countries, people in the lowest incomes reported more depressive symptoms compared to those with higher incomes, say the authors. At the EU level, the rate of depressive symptoms in the lowest income segment is three times that of the highest income.
What are the effects of depression for those affected??
Depression should generally not be taken lightly. Affected at some point no longer have the ability to influence the disease by willpower. Depression is often the cause of an incapacity to work. In particularly bad cases sick people must even be sent to early retirement. It is estimated that about 50 percent of suicides a year in Germany are caused by depression.
Germany ranks fifth among the countries with depression
Germany ranks relatively high in the evaluation of the EU report. In Germany, around 8.4 percent of people suffer from depression, explain the researchers. Germany ranks fifth among the countries with the highest rates of depression. (As)