你或你認(rèn)識(shí)的人很有可能正在遭受抑郁癥的折磨。世界衛(wèi)生組織對(duì)抑郁癥的定義是“難以排遣的悲傷和對(duì)本來(lái)熱衷的活動(dòng)了無(wú)興趣，伴隨著無(wú)法從事日常活動(dòng)，時(shí)間可持續(xù)14天或更長(zhǎng)?！睋?jù)該組織統(tǒng)計(jì)，全球抑郁癥患病率從2005年以來(lái)增長(zhǎng)了超過(guò)18%。

2015年，世界衛(wèi)生組織估計(jì)全球共有3.22億人患有抑郁癥，這是其成為全球?qū)е录膊〗】祮?wèn)題和殘疾的主要原因。令人擔(dān)憂的是，世界衛(wèi)生組織發(fā)現(xiàn)多數(shù)抑郁癥患者并沒(méi)有得到充分治療（并不令人意外）： 在高收入國(guó)家，估計(jì)有50%的抑郁癥患者未得到治療，而在低收入國(guó)家，這一比例高達(dá)80%至90%。

這種情況一方面原因是缺乏資金——平均僅有3%的政府資金被用于精神健康項(xiàng)目。

世界衛(wèi)生組織總干事陳馮富珍在一份聲明中表示：“這些新的數(shù)字呼喚所有國(guó)家都來(lái)反思他們的精神衛(wèi)生方針，并在處理過(guò)程中保持應(yīng)有的緊迫感。”

抑郁癥會(huì)帶來(lái)經(jīng)濟(jì)和心理上的影響。精神不振、胃口和睡眠模式變化、濫用毒品、焦慮和產(chǎn)生自殘的想法等癥狀，不僅有害精神或身體健康，還會(huì)影響經(jīng)濟(jì)生產(chǎn)力。（世界衛(wèi)生組織估計(jì)抑郁癥相關(guān)成本每年達(dá)到1萬(wàn)億美元。）

據(jù)美國(guó)國(guó)立衛(wèi)生研究院統(tǒng)計(jì)，美國(guó)估計(jì)有1,610萬(wàn)成年人在去年經(jīng)歷過(guò)至少一次嚴(yán)重抑郁發(fā)作，占到總?cè)丝诘慕?%。

雖然人們對(duì)抑郁癥依舊存在偏見，但越來(lái)越多的人開始說(shuō)出他們自己患抑郁癥的經(jīng)歷。陳馮富珍認(rèn)為，真是一個(gè)令人鼓舞的信號(hào)：

“ 對(duì)于抑郁癥患者來(lái)說(shuō)，與他們信任的人交談往往是走向治療和康復(fù)的第一步?！保ㄘ?cái)富中文網(wǎng)）

譯者：劉進(jìn)龍/汪皓

Chances are, you or someone you know has grappled with depression. The global rate of disorder, which the World Health Organization defines as a "persistent sadness and a loss of interest in activities that people normally enjoy, accompanied by an inability to carry out daily activities for two weeks or more,” has risen by more than 18% since 2005, according to the agency.

In 2015, the WHO estimated 322 million people were living with depression, making it the leading cause of ill health and disability worldwide. Worryingly, if unsurprisingly, the agency found that the majority of those with the condition aren’t receiving adequate care: in high income countries, it estimates 50% of those with the disorder don’t get treatment, while in low-income countries that number rises to 80% to 90%.

In part, this stems from a lack of funding — on average, only 3% of a government’s health budget is spent on mental health programs.

"These new figures are a wake-up call for all countries to re-think their approaches to mental health and to treat it with the urgency it deserves," Margaret Chan, the WHO's director-general, said in a statement.

Depression’s impact is financial, as well as psychological. Symptoms include lack of energy, changes in appetite and sleep patterns, substance abuse, anxiety, and thoughts of self-harm, which, while clearly not great for mental or physical health, also take a toll on economic productivity. (The WHO estimates that costs related to the condition add up to $1 trillion annually.)

In the U.S., an estimated 16.1 million adults, or nearly 7% of the population, has experienced at least one major depressive episode in the last year, according to the National Institute of Mental Health.

While there’s still a stigma associated with the condition, more people are speaking out about their own, individual experiences. Which is an encouraging sign, according to Chan:

“For someone living with depression, talking to a person they trust is often the first step towards treatment and recovery.”