I don’t know much about statistics, but I know that everyday the news has where a Mother was convicted of abusing their child. We are faced with such violence on TV and as close as the street you live on. It’s no wonder that we are depressed. More and more families are getting divorced later in life, and the economy, “goodness.” How does a person cope?

There is politics, economy and children and our work place, oh yeah and don’t forget menopause.

There is help, but I think that most people don’t realize they need it, they think it will pass, or laugh and say “I think I’m loosing my mind”, well I am hear to tell you, it is No joke. You really are, and that’s why we need help, because it could lead you to drastic measures. Talk with your Dr. or Care giver, let them help, talk to a friend or loved one, depression affects everyone.

Yes, I agree, they are high. The study comes out of the CDC. You can find the article on Medscape.

http://tinyurl.com/6lwhlx (link to Medscape article).

Here are the first few paragraphs:
A new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC’s) National Center for Health Statistics shows that in any 2-week period, 5.4%,of Americans aged 12 years or older, or more than 1 in 20, are depressed.

Hardest hit are women, non-Hispanic blacks, and those in middle age, between 40 and 59 years of age, where rates were higher than among other demographic groups. Americans living below the poverty level were more likely to be depressed than those with higher incomes; rates in this population were 1 in 7.

“Approximately 80% of people with depression reported that their symptoms interfered with their ability to work, maintain a home, and be socially active,” the authors, Laura A. Pratt, PhD, and Debra J. Brody, both from the National Center of Health Statistics, write in their report. “Reflecting the high rate of functional impairment, almost two-thirds of the estimated $83 billion that depression cost the United States in the year 2000 resulted from lowered productivity and workplace absenteeism.”