Understanding Depression and Anxiety
I call depression and anxiety the two headed monster. This is because they usually go hand in hand. People diagnosed with one usually have symptoms of the other as well. Many of the symptoms overlap.
Depression Statistics in America
The following information and statistics were taken from the National Institute of Mental Health.
Mood disorders include major depressive disorder, dysthymic disorder, and bipolar disorder.
- Approximately 20.9 million American adults, or about 9.5 percent of the U.S. population age 18 and older in a given year, have a mood disorder.
- The median age of onset for mood disorders is 30 years.
- Depressive disorders often co-occur with anxiety disorders and substance abuse.
Anxiety Disorder Statistics
Anxiety disorders include panic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, and phobias (social phobia, agoraphobia, and specific phobia).
- Approximately 40 million American adults ages 18 and older, or about 18.1 percent of people in this age group in a given year, have an anxiety disorder.
- Anxiety disorders frequently co-occur with depressive disorders or substance abuse.
- Most people with one anxiety disorder also have another anxiety disorder. Nearly three-quarters of those with an anxiety disorder will have their first episode by age 21.
Now that you've finished reading this, try reading how to help a friend with depression, help a pessimistic person or how to help a
spouse with depression.