Depression global disease burden

Depression is a common, serious, sometimes fatal illness that is chronic and recurrent in nature, impairs family life, reduces social adjustment, and is a burden on the community (Klerman and Weissman, 1992). This disease chronicity magnifies hoth its societal impact and its economic burden. It has been estimated that more than 17% of the disability associated with mental disorders is the result of depressive disorders (Rosenbaum and Hylan, 1999), and that the global burden of depression, measured in terms of disability-adjusted life years, will rank second only to ischaemic heart disease by the year 2020 (Murray and Lopez, 1996). 

MDD causes serious impairment. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), depression is the leading cause of disability (based on years lived with disability) and the fourth leading contributor to the global burden of disease (based on disability adjusted life years).4 Those with 12-month MDD reported a mean of about 35 days in the past year in which they were unable to work or carry out usual activities.2... 

Bipolar disorder (BAD, manic-depressive illness) is a severe and chronic illness, which is a major public health problem, in any given year affecting approximately 1-3% of the US population (Narrow et al., 2002). In the World Health Organization Global Burden of Disease study, BAD ranked sixth among all medical disorders in years of life lost to death or disability worldwide, and is projected to have a greater impact in the future (Murray and Lopez, 1996). 

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