• The word “melancholic”, meaning depressed, comes from the Greek word for “black bile”.

• Two out of three people suffering from depression do not seek or receive proper treatment.
• 92% of depressed African-American males do not seek or receive proper treatment.
• Depression affects over 50% of nursing home residents.
• Depression is among the most treatable of psychiatric illnesses. 70 percent of those suffering from major depression can fully recover if properly treated (World Health Organization).
• 80% to 90% of people who receive treatment for depression show improvement.
• An estimated 50% of unsuccessful treatment for depression is due to non-compliance with medicines.

• Major depression is about four times more likely in people with chronic back pain than for the general population.
• Amongst chronic pain sufferers music can help reduce the pain by more than 20% and can alleviate depression by up to 25%.

• One in four families has at least one member with a mental disorder
• Pre-schoolers are the fastest-growing market for antidepressants. At least 4% of preschoolers in the U.S. (over a million) have clinical depression.
• Antidepressants stimulate the growth of new neurons in the brain. So does exercise.

• Depression happens to strong, not weak people.

A couple of weeks ago I wrote about the link between work stress and depression, and gave some ideas for dealing with the problem.

Until now research on this issue has been thin on the ground. However a new paper, published in the August 2007 issue of Psychological Medicine, is a helpful addition.

In the study 10 per cent of men and 14 per cent of women who were finding work stressful during the period of research experienced their first episode of depression or an anxiety disorder. Women with the highest psychological demands from work were 75% more likely to suffer a first episode than women with the lowest demands. For men it was 80%. Psychological demands included long hours, pressure and lack of clear direction.

The study was conducted over a one-year monitoring period, with about 900 males and females aged 32.

By the way, which occupation do you think is most stressful?
Firefighter
Police officer
Train operator
Teacher
Librarian

Apparently librarian.