The Scale of the Problem

Depression is the most prevalent mental illness in the world. The Centers for Disease Control calculates the number of people suffering from depression at 350 million, and The World Bank considers it “the greatest thief of productive economic life,” with yearly global costs at U.S. $2.5 trillion. Nature magazine stated: “Depression is the biggest blight on human society – bar none.”

Nowhere is that more evident clear than in Africa, where approximately 100 million people suffer from the disease, costing the economy roughly U.S. $5 billion a year. For African women – who are afflicted at twice the rate of men – depression is the number one cause of disability. Yet, due to the lack of investment in mental health services, 85% percent of people suffering from depression in Africa – including 66 million women – have no access to effective treatment.

What Depression Looks Like

Depression is not a simple feeling of sadness, which diminishes after a few days. Rather, it is a disease that disables more people in Africa than HIV/AIDS, cancer or heart disease. It can endure for weeks, months or years. Symptoms include extreme fatigue, inability to concentrate or make decisions, feelings of guilt or anxiety, and a general loss of interest in life.

What’s at Stake

An African woman with depression, compared with her healthy peer, suffers greatly: She is less productive, has a lower income, and has poorer physical health. If she is a mother, the negative impact extends to her entire family. Research shows that children of depressed mothers are more likely to have poor health, struggle in or miss school, and suffer from depression themselves. 

WAYS WE HELP

Nowhere is that more evident clear than in Africa, where approximately 100 million people suffer from the disease, costing the economy roughly U.S. $5 billion a year. For African women – who are afflicted at twice the rate of men – depression is the number one cause of disability. Yet, due to the lack of investment in mental health services, 85% percent of people suffering from depression in Africa – including 66 million women – have no access to effective treatment.