你或你認識的人很有可能正在遭受抑郁癥的折磨,。世界衛(wèi)生組織對抑郁癥的定義是“難以排遣的悲傷和對本來熱衷的活動了無興趣,，伴隨著無法從事日常活動,，時間可持續(xù)14天或更長,。”據該組織統計,，全球抑郁癥患病率從2005年以來增長了超過18%,。

2015年，世界衛(wèi)生組織估計全球共有3.22億人患有抑郁癥,，這是其成為全球導致疾病健康問題和殘疾的主要原因,。令人擔憂的是，世界衛(wèi)生組織發(fā)現多數抑郁癥患者并沒有得到充分治療（并不令人意外）： 在高收入國家,，估計有50%的抑郁癥患者未得到治療,，而在低收入國家，這一比例高達80%至90%,。

這種情況一方面原因是缺乏資金——平均僅有3%的政府資金被用于精神健康項目,。

世界衛(wèi)生組織總干事陳馮富珍在一份聲明中表示：“這些新的數字呼喚所有國家都來反思他們的精神衛(wèi)生方針，并在處理過程中保持應有的緊迫感,?！?/p>

抑郁癥會帶來經濟和心理上的影響。精神不振,、胃口和睡眠模式變化,、濫用毒品、焦慮和產生自殘的想法等癥狀,，不僅有害精神或身體健康,，還會影響經濟生產力,。（世界衛(wèi)生組織估計抑郁癥相關成本每年達到1萬億美元。）

據美國國立衛(wèi)生研究院統計,，美國估計有1,610萬成年人在去年經歷過至少一次嚴重抑郁發(fā)作,，占到總人口的近7%。

雖然人們對抑郁癥依舊存在偏見,，但越來越多的人開始說出他們自己患抑郁癥的經歷,。陳馮富珍認為，真是一個令人鼓舞的信號：

“ 對于抑郁癥患者來說,，與他們信任的人交談往往是走向治療和康復的第一步,。”（財富中文網）

譯者：劉進龍/汪皓

Chances are, you or someone you know has grappled with depression. The global rate of disorder, which the World Health Organization defines as a "persistent sadness and a loss of interest in activities that people normally enjoy, accompanied by an inability to carry out daily activities for two weeks or more,” has risen by more than 18% since 2005, according to the agency.

In 2015, the WHO estimated 322 million people were living with depression, making it the leading cause of ill health and disability worldwide. Worryingly, if unsurprisingly, the agency found that the majority of those with the condition aren’t receiving adequate care: in high income countries, it estimates 50% of those with the disorder don’t get treatment, while in low-income countries that number rises to 80% to 90%.

In part, this stems from a lack of funding — on average, only 3% of a government’s health budget is spent on mental health programs.

"These new figures are a wake-up call for all countries to re-think their approaches to mental health and to treat it with the urgency it deserves," Margaret Chan, the WHO's director-general, said in a statement.

Depression’s impact is financial, as well as psychological. Symptoms include lack of energy, changes in appetite and sleep patterns, substance abuse, anxiety, and thoughts of self-harm, which, while clearly not great for mental or physical health, also take a toll on economic productivity. (The WHO estimates that costs related to the condition add up to $1 trillion annually.)

In the U.S., an estimated 16.1 million adults, or nearly 7% of the population, has experienced at least one major depressive episode in the last year, according to the National Institute of Mental Health.

While there’s still a stigma associated with the condition, more people are speaking out about their own, individual experiences. Which is an encouraging sign, according to Chan:

“For someone living with depression, talking to a person they trust is often the first step towards treatment and recovery.”