Is depression more common in Western countries?

Yet research shows a rather interesting pattern: depression is far more prevalent in Western cultures, such as the US, Canada, France, Germany and New Zealand, than in Eastern cultures, such as Taiwan, Korea, Japan and China. This shows that depression is a modern health epidemic that is also culture-specific.

Why are people getting lonely?

Loneliness can also be attributed to internal factors such as low self-esteem. People who lack confidence in themselves often believe that they are unworthy of the attention or regard of other people, which can lead to isolation and chronic loneliness.

Who suffers most from loneliness?

Loneliness and older people

• The number of over-50s experiencing loneliness is set to reach two million by 2025/6.
• Half a million older people go at least five or six days a week without seeing or speaking to anyone at all [7]
• Well over half (59\%) of those aged 85 and over and 38\% of those aged 75 to 84 live alone [8]

What country has the lowest rate of depression?

The most depressed country is Afghanistan, where more than one in five people suffer from the disorder. The least depressed is Japan, with a diagnosed rate of less than 2.5 percent.

How does loneliness affect the brain?

Lonely people are typically more prone to major psychiatric disorders and cognitive decline, and have an increased risk of dementia. “A sense of loneliness has also been associated with health risks that are equivalent to or exceed that of obesity or smoking 15 cigarettes daily,” they wrote.

Are people lonely in 2021?

About 32 percent of respondents in June 2021 reported having just one person or no one in their lives with whom they could share their feelings. That was up from 24 percent in April 2020, reflecting a pronounced decline in the reach of personal relationships.