Abstract

DIAS, Alvaro Machado. On the increase in depression rates and its causes. Ciênc. cogn. [online]. 2010, vol.15, n.2, pp. 165-172. ISSN 1806-5821.

Abstract This article aims to highlight and discuss some perspectives established in a recent article on depression's etiology and prevalence. In this article, published in 2008, Moreira presents an interesting argument (inspired on the 'narcissism culture') to explain the 'increasing rates of depression in the current society', in face of which I contrast: 1) The epidemiologic studies that once supported this kind of assumption are the same that supported increasing rates of alcoholism, bipolar disorder, panic, and others, so that an explanation based on the 'narcissism culture' either would need to reveal why and how this culture increases all these other disorders, or it would need to distinguish depression's increasing rates axis; 2) Gigantic and statistically controlled epidemiological studies show that the rate of depression remains stable within the current society. At last, an alternative explanation to this impression of outgrowth is presented. © Cien. Cogn. 2010; Vol. 15 (2): 165-172

Keywords : depression; epidemiology; etiology; psychopathology.

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