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Thread: Depression rate map

  1. #1
    jimkatalanos's Avatar 浪人
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    Default Depression rate map





    The first thing that I noticed is the high rate in several muslim nations. The second, the high rate of Croatia compared to its neighbours.

    http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2013/11/07/a-stunning-map-of-depression-rates-around-the-world/

    http://www.plosmedicine.org/article/...l.pmed.1001547
    Last edited by jimkatalanos; April 02, 2014 at 10:23 AM.
    Ερωτηθεὶς τι ποτ' αυτώ περιγέγονεν εκ φιλοσοφίας, έφη, «Το ανεπιτάκτως ποιείν ά τινες διά τον από των νόμων φόβον ποιούσιν.


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    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 
    The universe is change; our life is what our thoughts make it.


    The soul becomes dyed with the color of its thoughts.


    If you desire to be good, begin by believing that you are wicked.


    We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.


    οὕτως ἀταλαίπωρος τοῖς πολλοῖς ἡ ζήτησις τῆς ἀληθείας, καὶ ἐπὶ τὰ ἑτοῖμα μᾶλλον τρέπονται.


    Questions are not necessarily there to be answered, but possibly there to inspire thinking.


    Nullius addictus iurare in verba magistri, - quo me cumque rapit tempestas, deferor hospes.


    If mind is common to us, then also the reason, whereby we are reasoning beings, is common. If this be so, then also the reason which enjoins what is to be done or left undone is common. If this be so, law also is common; if this be so, we are citizens; if this be so, we are partakers in one constitution; if this be so, the Universe is a kind of commonwealth.


    Everything we hear is an opinion, not a fact. Everything we see is a perspective, not the truth.


    There is no chaos in the world, only complexity.
    Knowledge of the complex is wisdom.
    From wisdom of the world comes wisdom of the self.
    Mastery of the self is mastery of the world. Loss of the self is the source of suffering.
    Suffering is a choice, and we can refuse it.
    It is in our power to create the world, or destroy it.


    Homo homini lupus est. Homo sacra res homini.


    When deeds speak, words are nothing.


    Human history is a litany of blood, shed over different ideals of rulership and afterlife


    Sol lucet omnibus.


    You have power over your mind - not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength.


    Neither should a ship rely on one small anchor, nor should life rest on a single hope.


    The only way to deal with an unfree world is to become so absolutely free that your very existence is an act of rebellion.


    Ο Νούς νοεί τον εαυτόν του ως κράτιστος και η νόησή του είναι της νοήσεως νόησις.


    'Nothing is true, everything is permitted.' is merely an observation of the nature of reality. To say that nothing is true, is to realize that the foundations of society are fragile, and that we must be the shepherds of our own civilization. To say that everything is permitted, is to understand that we are the architects of our actions, and that we must live with their consequences, whether glorious or tragic.

  2. #2

    Default Re: Depression rate map

    In part, this can probably be explained based on economic or political factors: on average, "third-world" countries or unstable/civil war states appear to have a higher depression rate, see Syria, Afghanistan, northern Africa etc. Also, most "first-world" countries seem to be in a better state compared to the rest of the world.

    But when you look at the map more closely, some curious facts come to light: Why does Iraq, a country that is arguably little better off than other countries in the Middle East, have a noticably lower depression rate? Why is the rate so high in the Netherlands? How come Estonia and Latvia are worse off than Lithuania? How can you explain the difference between Eastern European countries like Ukraine and Germany or France? Why are China (dictatorship, developing nation) and Mexico (drug war, corruption) doing so well? Perhaps outside factors like the economy or the political climate/stability have less of an effect after all?

    Of course these differences don't necessarily have to mean much. Without knowing more details about this study, it's possible that some countries simply applied a different methodology or are more/less willing to diagnose people as depressed. Also, the percentage differences are fairly small I suppose, so some of them might just be statistical aberrations.

  3. #3
    Diamat's Avatar VELUTI SI DEUS DARETUR
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    Default Re: Depression rate map

    Indeed, based on the map alone, we cannot draw any sound conclusions. We can only trace possible correlations.

  4. #4
    jimkatalanos's Avatar 浪人
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    Default Re: Depression rate map

    Had to google the image in order to find the original article. http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/...und-the-world/
    Ερωτηθεὶς τι ποτ' αυτώ περιγέγονεν εκ φιλοσοφίας, έφη, «Το ανεπιτάκτως ποιείν ά τινες διά τον από των νόμων φόβον ποιούσιν.


    Under the professional guidance of TWC's Zone expert Garbarsardar
    Patron of Noble Savage, Dimitri_Harkov, MasterOfThessus, The Fuzz, aja5191, Furin, neoptolemos, AnthoniusII, Legio, agisilaos, Romanos IV, Taiji, Leo, Jom, Jarlaxe






    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 
    The universe is change; our life is what our thoughts make it.


    The soul becomes dyed with the color of its thoughts.


    If you desire to be good, begin by believing that you are wicked.


    We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.


    οὕτως ἀταλαίπωρος τοῖς πολλοῖς ἡ ζήτησις τῆς ἀληθείας, καὶ ἐπὶ τὰ ἑτοῖμα μᾶλλον τρέπονται.


    Questions are not necessarily there to be answered, but possibly there to inspire thinking.


    Nullius addictus iurare in verba magistri, - quo me cumque rapit tempestas, deferor hospes.


    If mind is common to us, then also the reason, whereby we are reasoning beings, is common. If this be so, then also the reason which enjoins what is to be done or left undone is common. If this be so, law also is common; if this be so, we are citizens; if this be so, we are partakers in one constitution; if this be so, the Universe is a kind of commonwealth.


    Everything we hear is an opinion, not a fact. Everything we see is a perspective, not the truth.


    There is no chaos in the world, only complexity.
    Knowledge of the complex is wisdom.
    From wisdom of the world comes wisdom of the self.
    Mastery of the self is mastery of the world. Loss of the self is the source of suffering.
    Suffering is a choice, and we can refuse it.
    It is in our power to create the world, or destroy it.


    Homo homini lupus est. Homo sacra res homini.


    When deeds speak, words are nothing.


    Human history is a litany of blood, shed over different ideals of rulership and afterlife


    Sol lucet omnibus.


    You have power over your mind - not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength.


    Neither should a ship rely on one small anchor, nor should life rest on a single hope.


    The only way to deal with an unfree world is to become so absolutely free that your very existence is an act of rebellion.


    Ο Νούς νοεί τον εαυτόν του ως κράτιστος και η νόησή του είναι της νοήσεως νόησις.


    'Nothing is true, everything is permitted.' is merely an observation of the nature of reality. To say that nothing is true, is to realize that the foundations of society are fragile, and that we must be the shepherds of our own civilization. To say that everything is permitted, is to understand that we are the architects of our actions, and that we must live with their consequences, whether glorious or tragic.

  5. #5

    Default Re: Depression rate map

    It basically confirms what I thought myself. The problem with such statistics and studies is that it is very hard, if not impossible, to draw any real conclusions from it.

    Of course you can try to find explanations for the different depression rates such as economic hardship, war and instability. And generally speaking, those factors most likely have some influence on the depression rates.

    The problem is, it's impossible to tell how significant that influence is as there are too many variables from country to country to properly establish causation. This especially applies to less obvious results, such as China and Japan's low depression rates (perhaps less cases are reported from there because depression is played down in their society? We can't tell for sure) or isolated cases such as the Netherlands or Iraq. Perhaps the Netherlands are just more aware of the problem and less afraid of diagnosing clinical depression.

    This applies to many countries in the list. Maybe Norway and Finland have comparatively higher depression rates due to the long winter and lack of sunlight. But how about Canada? And shouldn't Russia be ranked even lower, considering that they have a similar climate and more economic problems and less social programs on top of that?

    In the end, it boils down to speculation if you attempt to go beyond broad trends.

  6. #6
    jimkatalanos's Avatar 浪人
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    Default Re: Depression rate map

    The journalist might be a bit confused about MDD and dysthymia btw.
    Ερωτηθεὶς τι ποτ' αυτώ περιγέγονεν εκ φιλοσοφίας, έφη, «Το ανεπιτάκτως ποιείν ά τινες διά τον από των νόμων φόβον ποιούσιν.


    Under the professional guidance of TWC's Zone expert Garbarsardar
    Patron of Noble Savage, Dimitri_Harkov, MasterOfThessus, The Fuzz, aja5191, Furin, neoptolemos, AnthoniusII, Legio, agisilaos, Romanos IV, Taiji, Leo, Jom, Jarlaxe






    Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 
    The universe is change; our life is what our thoughts make it.


    The soul becomes dyed with the color of its thoughts.


    If you desire to be good, begin by believing that you are wicked.


    We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.


    οὕτως ἀταλαίπωρος τοῖς πολλοῖς ἡ ζήτησις τῆς ἀληθείας, καὶ ἐπὶ τὰ ἑτοῖμα μᾶλλον τρέπονται.


    Questions are not necessarily there to be answered, but possibly there to inspire thinking.


    Nullius addictus iurare in verba magistri, - quo me cumque rapit tempestas, deferor hospes.


    If mind is common to us, then also the reason, whereby we are reasoning beings, is common. If this be so, then also the reason which enjoins what is to be done or left undone is common. If this be so, law also is common; if this be so, we are citizens; if this be so, we are partakers in one constitution; if this be so, the Universe is a kind of commonwealth.


    Everything we hear is an opinion, not a fact. Everything we see is a perspective, not the truth.


    There is no chaos in the world, only complexity.
    Knowledge of the complex is wisdom.
    From wisdom of the world comes wisdom of the self.
    Mastery of the self is mastery of the world. Loss of the self is the source of suffering.
    Suffering is a choice, and we can refuse it.
    It is in our power to create the world, or destroy it.


    Homo homini lupus est. Homo sacra res homini.


    When deeds speak, words are nothing.


    Human history is a litany of blood, shed over different ideals of rulership and afterlife


    Sol lucet omnibus.


    You have power over your mind - not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength.


    Neither should a ship rely on one small anchor, nor should life rest on a single hope.


    The only way to deal with an unfree world is to become so absolutely free that your very existence is an act of rebellion.


    Ο Νούς νοεί τον εαυτόν του ως κράτιστος και η νόησή του είναι της νοήσεως νόησις.


    'Nothing is true, everything is permitted.' is merely an observation of the nature of reality. To say that nothing is true, is to realize that the foundations of society are fragile, and that we must be the shepherds of our own civilization. To say that everything is permitted, is to understand that we are the architects of our actions, and that we must live with their consequences, whether glorious or tragic.

  7. #7
    Sir Adrian's Avatar the Imperishable
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    Default Re: Depression rate map

    I am shocked and surprised that Romania is so low on the list, the amount of and problems we former commies deal with compared with people in western Europe could stun Garb's heard of buffalos and yet...

    Given this and Hungary's low rate, when in reality they have the highest suicide rate in the EU, I'd say the figures are off.
    Last edited by Sir Adrian; April 02, 2014 at 11:23 AM.
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  8. #8

    Default Re: Depression rate map

    I am not sure about some countries. I thought Japan would have a higher rate, but I guess it also depends on the psicology or psychiatry practice in every country, so what is considered depression by the proffesionals in every place. This is not maths. Switzerland and The Nertherlands too high too. Some dictatorship ruled countries are happier tan consolidated democracies and some richness seems not to matter either. It would be interesting to know what people expects from life in every country.
    Last edited by Bethencourt; April 02, 2014 at 11:42 AM.

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