2020年，憂鬱症所造成的社會負擔將高居所有疾病的第二位！

以性別區分，女性罹患憂鬱症的比例較男性高。全球性疾病負擔(global burden of disease)報告中指出憂鬱症的點盛行率（目前罹患憂鬱症的比例）女性為3. 2％，男性為1. 9％。報告中也提到在12個月的區間中，有5. 8％的男性與9. 5％的女性罹患憂鬱症。這些盛行率隨著地區的不同變動，有些地方甚至更高。

全球性疾病負擔(GBD2000)報告中也指出，憂鬱症所帶來的社會負擔很高，佔全部疾病排名的第四位。尤其在15至44歲這個年齡區間中，憂鬱症所造成的社會負擔高居所有疾病的第二位。
專家預估，如果人口成長趨勢與流行病學趨勢持續發展，在2020 年，不分性別，憂鬱症所造成的將會是全部疾病的第二位，僅次於缺血性心臟病（ischaemic heart disease）。 甚至，在已開發國家中，憂鬱症的排名超越所有疾病，躍居第一位。

原文摘譯自: The World Health Report 2001, WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION （WHO）

原文：

Depression is more common in women than in men. GBD 2000 estimates
the point prevalence of unipolar depressive episodes to be 1.9% for men and 3.2%
for women, and that 5.8% of men and 9.5% of women will experience a depressive episode
in a 12-month period. These prevalence figures vary across populations and may be higher
in some populations.
GBD 2000 analysis also shows that unipolar depressive disorders place an enormous
burden on society and are ranked as the fourth leading cause of burden among all diseases.
By the year 2020, if current trends for demographic and epidemiological transition
continue, the burden of depression becoming the second leading cause of DALYs lost.
Worldwide it will be second only to ischaemic heart disease for DALYs lost for both sexes.
In the developed regions, depression will then be the highest ranking cause of burden of disease.