If We're So Great, Why Are We So Unhappy?
First, the numbers . . .
We're getting more depressed in the United States.
"Major depression is a common and treatable mental disorder; a study conducted during 2001--2002 estimated that 6.6% of the U.S. adult population had experienced a major depressive disorder during the preceding 12 months. Among the 235,067 adult respondents in the sample for survey years 2006 and 2008, 9.0% met criteria for current depression, including 3.4% who met criteria for major depression.
The prevalence of major depression increased with age, from 2.8% among persons aged 18--24 years to 4.6% among persons aged 45--64 years, but declined to 1.6% among those aged ≥65 years. Women were significantly more likely than men to report major depression (4.0% versus 2.7%), as were persons without health insurance coverage compared with those with coverage (5.9% versus 2.9%), persons previously married (6.6%) or never married (4.1%) compared with those currently married (2.2%), and persons unable to work (22.2%) or unemployed (9.8%) compared with homemakers and students (3.0%), persons employed (2.0%), and retired persons (1.6%)."
- From Current Depression Among Adults --- United States, 2006 and 2008
The connection? The connections within the spreading unhappiness in America is the absence of connections -- credible connections. Whether it is the absence of a spouse, i.e., single/divorced/widowed, the absence of co-workers, i.e., unemployed, or the absence of friends, all studies seem to point in the same direction: in order to be happy, satisfied, and content, people need other people and the connections to those people need to be credible, that is, believable and dependable.
Such is the message of Credible Connections(tm) and its approach to creating them in the workplace.
More info available at: jimkarger@mac.com
We're getting more depressed in the United States.
"Major depression is a common and treatable mental disorder; a study conducted during 2001--2002 estimated that 6.6% of the U.S. adult population had experienced a major depressive disorder during the preceding 12 months. Among the 235,067 adult respondents in the sample for survey years 2006 and 2008, 9.0% met criteria for current depression, including 3.4% who met criteria for major depression.
The prevalence of major depression increased with age, from 2.8% among persons aged 18--24 years to 4.6% among persons aged 45--64 years, but declined to 1.6% among those aged ≥65 years. Women were significantly more likely than men to report major depression (4.0% versus 2.7%), as were persons without health insurance coverage compared with those with coverage (5.9% versus 2.9%), persons previously married (6.6%) or never married (4.1%) compared with those currently married (2.2%), and persons unable to work (22.2%) or unemployed (9.8%) compared with homemakers and students (3.0%), persons employed (2.0%), and retired persons (1.6%)."
- From Current Depression Among Adults --- United States, 2006 and 2008
The connection? The connections within the spreading unhappiness in America is the absence of connections -- credible connections. Whether it is the absence of a spouse, i.e., single/divorced/widowed, the absence of co-workers, i.e., unemployed, or the absence of friends, all studies seem to point in the same direction: in order to be happy, satisfied, and content, people need other people and the connections to those people need to be credible, that is, believable and dependable.
Such is the message of Credible Connections(tm) and its approach to creating them in the workplace.
More info available at: jimkarger@mac.com
posted by Jim Karger at 7:51 PM
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