Depression Leading Cause Of Disability Worldwide, WHO Report Says

Reuters: Depression top cause of disability, strikes young and old: WHO
“More than four percent of the world’s population lives with depression, and women, youth, and the elderly are the most prone to its disabling effects, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Thursday…” (Nebehay, 2/23).

U.N. News Centre: U.N. health agency reports depression now ‘leading cause of disability worldwide’
“Depression is the leading cause of disability worldwide, the United Nations health agency [Thursday] reported, estimating that it affects more than 300 million people worldwide … [The report] shows an 18 percent increase in the number of people living with depression between 2005 and 2015…” (2/23).

VOA News: WHO: Depression Largest Cause of Disability Worldwide
“…Corresponding data released in the same report found that anxiety disorders, which cover a range of conditions, including post-traumatic stress disorder and obsessive compulsive disorder, affected more than 260 million people, which represented more than three percent of the global population…” (Schlein, 2/23).

The KFF Daily Global Health Policy Report summarized news and information on global health policy from hundreds of sources, from May 2009 through December 2020. All summaries are archived and available via search.

KFF Headquarters: 185 Berry St., Suite 2000, San Francisco, CA 94107 | Phone 650-854-9400
Washington Offices and Barbara Jordan Conference Center: 1330 G Street, NW, Washington, DC 20005 | Phone 202-347-5270

www.kff.org | Email Alerts: kff.org/email | facebook.com/KFF | twitter.com/kff

The independent source for health policy research, polling, and news, KFF is a nonprofit organization based in San Francisco, California.