Depression as a disease of modernity: explanations for increasing prevalence

By Brandon H Hidaka. Journal of Affective Disorders, 2012

681 citations recorded by the source corpus.

There has been much speculation about modern environments causing an epidemic of depression. This review aims to (1) determine whether depression rates have increased and (2) review evidence for possible explanations. While available data indicate rising prevalence and an increased lifetime risk for younger cohorts, strong conclusions cannot be drawn due to conflicting results and methodological flaws. There are numerous potential explanations for changing rates of depression. Cross-cultural studies can be useful for identifying likely culprits. General and specific characteristics of modernization correlate with higher risk. A positive correlation between a country’s GDP per capita, as quantitative measure of modernization, and lifetime risk of a mood disorder trended toward significance (p=0.06). Mental and physical well-being are intimately related. The growing burden of chronic diseases, which arise from an evolutionary mismatch between past human environments and modern-day living, may be central to rising rates of depression. Declining social capital and greater inequality and loneliness are candidate mediators of a depressiogenic social milieu. Modern populations are increasingly overfed, malnourished, sedentary, sunlight-deficient, sleep-deprived, and socially-isolated. These changes in lifestyle each contribute to poor physical health and affect the incidence and treatment of depression. The review ends with a call for future research and policy interventions to address this public health crisis.

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Citations in the corpus

• Breaking down the barriers: the gut microbiome, intestinal permeability and stress-related psychiatric disorders (2015, background): “…that encountering less microbial biodiversity may contribute to the increase in chronic inflammatory disorders including subtypes of depression (Klerman and Weissman, 1989; Weissman, 1992; Guarner et al., 2006; Rook and Lowry, 2008; Hidaka, 2012; Rook et al., 2013, 2014; Williamson et al., 2015).”
• Time Period and Birth Cohort Differences in Depressive Symptoms in the U.S., 1982–2013 (2015, background): “As Hidaka (2012), theorized, something in modern life is undermining mental health.”
• Validating the Beck Depression Inventory-II in Indonesia's general population and coronary heart disease patients (2013, background): “The prevalence of depression in Indonesia among healthy female and male are 34% and 24%, respectively (Liew, 2012) which are higher than the prevalence in other countries (e.g., Hidaka, 2012; Kaplan et al., 2010; Wada et al., 2005).”
• Relationship between burnout and depressive symptoms: A study using the person-centred approach (2014, background): “Genetic, developmental, and environmental influences are interlinked in the process (Hidaka, 2012; Kendler, Gardner, & Prescott, 2002; Kendler, Gardner, & Prescott, 2006; Kessler, 1997) and work factors represent one type of environmental influence.”