DEPRESSION: THE FACTS

What is depression? An illness that causes prolonged feelings of sadness, hopelessness, anxiety and loss of interest that interferes with everyday life — the ability to work, concentrate, eat, sleep or make decisions. What causes it? Scientists believe it is caused by a combination of genetic, biological, environmental and psychological factors. Depression and other mental illnesses are considered disorders of the brain, which has researchers looking for the root causes of those disorders so they can develop better ways to treat, prevent and manage them. Who is hardest hit? It’s prevalent among all Canadians, with about 40 per cent suffering depression and or anxiety disorders at some time in their lives. It hits the young and those among the 19.2 million Canadians who are in their working years the hardest. DEPRESSION AND SUICIDE Worldwide, suicide is one of the three leading causes of death among young people aged 15 to 24 years. Depression is present in about 90 per cent of all suicide cases. DEPRESSION AND THE WORKPLACE Depression is estimated to afflict 18 per cent to 25 per cent of employees in Canada and the U.S. in any given year. It’s the largest and fastest-growing cause of disability on the job. DEPRESSION AND THE GENERAL POPULATION The general incidence in Canada and the U.S. is estimated at between 20 and 25 per cent over a lifetime. In Europe that figure is 30 per cent. ABSENTEEISM In any given week, more than 500,000 working Canadians don’t go to work because of mental health problems. Of those, 355,000 are on disability and 175,000 have called in sick. The cost of depression, anxiety and addiction in the workplace is estimated at $51 billion a year in Canada — that’s four per cent of GDP — including health care costs, lost productivity and reductions in health-related quality of life. OVERALL COST OF DEPRESSION IN THE EUROPEAN UNION AND NORTH AMERICA More than $1 trillion a year.