What makes a person depressed? The answer to this has never truly been found. However doctors and mental health professionals continue to work tirelessly to find new treatments and define the causes. Some can link depression to genetics.
Many people with a parent or grandparent that suffered from depression may be more at risk for developing the mental illness themselves. The World Health Organization states that there are approximately 280 million people around the world suffering from depression.
That number is probably far higher simply because depression is still stigmatized in some regions of the world. Different religions will not even recognize depression as a serious health issue.
There are many issues that can cause depression. For example: A person’s brain chemistry, drug and alcohol use. Poor diets, poor sleep, stress, relationship issues, becoming a parent and even the weather. The CDC records information for the US on the number of residents in each state that reported a diagnosis of depression.
Depression Rates by State
The team at CEUfast took that information and mapped it out in this easy-to-read infographic. Ranking 50 states from the highest prevalence of depression to the least, the number one city on the map is Billings Montana.
A whopping 31% of folk from Billings, MT reported being diagnosed with depression. This area in the Appalachia’s has experienced a wide variety of social economic issues that could lead to depression. Poor job opportunities, low income, the opioid epidemic and even a high sugar diet.
Looking at the rest of the map I don’t see an immediate correlation of location to depression. Many cities are from all over the map with a heavy representation in the eastern part of the US. It would be interesting to see the average income of these cities as well as the graduation rates and overall health of the residents living in these most depressed cities.
