Depression One of the Planet’s Most Devasting Diseases

If you were asked to name the world’s most dangerous diseases, depression probably wouldn’t rank high on your list. You would most likely think of diseases like heart disease and cancer.

But researchers have discovered that the amount pain and loss caused by depression makes it a rival for the top spot.

Consider the facts:

• The World Health Organization states the amount of healthy days lost to depression makes it the fourth largest cause of disability in the world. By 2020 depression will be leading cause of disability.

• Medical professionals conclude that disability caused by depression damages the individual more than any other disease.

• Aside from early childhood fatal diseases, depression steals more potential healthy days away from people than any another illness.

• Due to lost productivity, depression causes $40 billion in the American workplace. That’s 3% of the entire gross national product.

• Depression ranks along with high blood pressure, smoking, stroke and congestive heart failure as a risk factor for death in the elderly. Studies show if you are depressed at age 65 your chances of dying before age 72 is increased 24%.

One last thing over 850000 people will take their own lives this year.