On a scale from 0 to 100, how much do improvements in mental health translate into reductions in overall human suffering?
Currently depression is the number one health disability globally and on track to be the number one killer in the near future, killing more than cancer, heart attacks, hunger, etc. Now is the time to get ahead of it. Also diminishment of individuals and their communities and productivity on the path to death. For example, a depressed mother stops taking care of her family well…if they have to walk miles to take the kids to a health clinic, now that doesn’t happen and the children’s health goes down. Many of us weren’t paying attention as depression grew to now rival the top human killers.
Thanks so much for this, Jeffrey. You’re absolutely right about the far-reaching spillover effects of depression on families, communities, and long-term health and productivity. And though they can be hard to measure, these impacts are still incredibly real. Anyone who has experienced depression personally, or through a loved one, knows just how deeply it affects the people around them in ways that often go unseen. Really appreciate you naming this broader reality.
Currently depression is the number one health disability globally and on track to be the number one killer in the near future, killing more than cancer, heart attacks, hunger, etc. Now is the time to get ahead of it. Also diminishment of individuals and their communities and productivity on the path to death. For example, a depressed mother stops taking care of her family well…if they have to walk miles to take the kids to a health clinic, now that doesn’t happen and the children’s health goes down. Many of us weren’t paying attention as depression grew to now rival the top human killers.
Thanks so much for this, Jeffrey. You’re absolutely right about the far-reaching spillover effects of depression on families, communities, and long-term health and productivity. And though they can be hard to measure, these impacts are still incredibly real. Anyone who has experienced depression personally, or through a loved one, knows just how deeply it affects the people around them in ways that often go unseen. Really appreciate you naming this broader reality.