Demystifying Depression/Is Depression on the Rise

Is Depression on the Rise?
Is the incidence of depression really on the rise? Statistics seem to point that way , and considering the risk factors, that should not be altogether surprising. The truth is that many modern hobbies are actually very demanding on the brain. Should a person pull long hours at work and then come home to face an equally demanding hobby, there is a very good chance that they are pushing the brain past its limit.

This is likely to strike a chord with the Kuro5hin crowd: surfing the web and blogging should be seen as work as far as the brain is concerned. In a similar note, information overload is not just a fancy buzzword: it is a factor contributing to the development of depression. The list is long: mobile phones, news tickers, instant messaging, etc. We seem to be very good at devising ways to overload our brains.

On a more positive note, if one considers the current understanding of the problem, plus the available means to treat it, making serious clinical depression a thing of the past is well within our reach. What is required? Just getting the message across! Sadly, it may prove difficult to overcome centuries of prejudice surrounding mental illness.