This is a study carried out in 2019 by the Ministry of Health, the results of which will be announced this Wednesday, January 8. It reveals that, on that date, 11% of French people suffered from a “depressive syndrome.” This is “the highest prevalence on the continent,” according to the Ministry of Health. Across the continent, “almost 6% of Europeans” were affected five years ago, the date of the latest data on this issue.
Disparities based on age appear throughout Europe, while 300,000 people were questioned, including 14,000 in France. “Depression is rare among young people in southern and eastern Europe, but is more common in the north. On the contrary, among those over 70 years of age, it is more widespread in the south and east,” indicates the Ministry of Health.
Income is not “a factor” for depression
According to the latter, “the results highlight the protective role of good health and strong support from those around them on the prevalence of depression, both among the elderly and among the young.”
In addition to age and geographic location, other factors influence depressive syndromes: “In older people, widowhood significantly increases the risk of depression, especially in Eastern European women.”
Gender also plays a role, as women are generally more vulnerable to depression than men. On the contrary, income level “does not seem to be a determining factor in the depressive syndrome.”
This survey on depression in Europe is based on data from 2019. In the meantime, various news stories may have changed certain figures. For example, Covid has had consequences on the mental health of part of the population such as students. According to a study by researchers at the University of Bordeaux published in 2021, the mental health of students was worse than that of the rest of the population.
Source: BFM TV
