Rates of depression have steadily climbed over the last 50 years and are significantly higher in those born after 1945 than in those born before. In addition, the average age of onset of a first depressive episode is steadily decreasing—it is now mid-20s whereas it once was mid-30s. Cross-cultural data show that the United States has a higher rate of depression than almost any other country, and that as Asian countries Westernize their rates of depression increase correspondingly.
The data make it abundantly clear that these changes are not the product of individual biochemistry or of family genetics but of pathology within our culture. There are many depressogenic factors operating in our culture. Information overload is one.
...you do need a variety of skills in order to avoid depression. Here are some of them:
Perhaps the most important skill is the ability to recognize and tolerate ambiguity. In many situations in there is no single correct answer but a variety of possibilities. Life is inherently ambiguous; an experiential Rorschach. It is in response to ambiguity that we're most likely to make the negative interpretations that can lead to depression.
you do need a variety of skills in order to avoid depression. Here are some of them:
A highly important skill for warding off depression is learning to discriminate between what you feel versus what is objectively true. Good mental health requires you to juggle the interplay between what's going on within you and what is going on out there.
Finally, relationship skills are important for preventing depression. We've known for decades that relationships serve as buffers against illness and emotional disorders. The people who are at the greatest risk for depression are those who are most lonely. Demographically, single women face the highest risk; married men, the lowest. So it's crucial to know how to meet people, assess them, communicate with them, let them know you're interested in them. And once you're in a relationship, you need to take steps to keep it healthy, such as asserting personal boundaries and setting up the rules by which the relationship will operate
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