Before Covid-19, France was the most depressed country in Europe

A report which allows us to understand the mental health of populations before the Covid-19 pandemic. The Directorate of Research, Studies, Evaluation and Statistics (Drees), affiliated with the Ministry of Health, made public, Thursday January 9, a vast study on depression in Europe. “In 2019, just before the health crisis, around 6% of the European population suffered from depressive syndromes, but with strong disparities between countries and regions”she notes, based on data from the third edition of the European Health Interview Survey (EHIS).

Strong disparities emerge from this research. In France, 11.1% of the population aged 15 or over said they were depressed. It is about “the highest prevalence on the continent”specifies the report. France, the only country to cross the 10% threshold, is closely followed by Sweden (9.9%), Germany (9.1%) and Malta (8.7%). On the contrary, certain countries – notably in the south and east of the continent – ​​are doing better, like Serbia (2%), Cyprus (2.4%), Greece (2. 5%) or even Slovakia (3.1%). Concerning our neighbors, the Spanish (4.8%) and the Italians (4.9%) seem to be in better psychological health than their Belgian (7.1%) and Luxembourgish (7.6%) counterparts. less at that time.

The younger generation more affected in Northern countries

Furthermore, the results also differ radically within the same country depending on age. In Finland, we observe a huge gap between mental health among those aged 70 and over (only 3% suffer from depression, the lowest mark) and that among young people (13.3% suffer in this area, fourth highest). total). Moreover, this trend can be extended to the whole of Northern Europe, where the older generation seems much more satisfied with their living conditions than the new. “Among young Scandinavians, depression appears to be on the rise since 2010, coinciding with a significant increase in social media and cell phone use in recent years”emphasize the researchers.

On the contrary, in the rest of Europe, seniors are more prone to depression, favored by isolation and poor health.

This gap is less marked in France, where 15.6% of elderly people – the fourth highest total on the continent – ​​said they suffered from depression. At the same time, 10.1% of 15-24 year olds experienced similar symptoms, five points less. “In general, France has one of the highest rates of depression among European countries for seniors and young people, as for the entire population”note the health authorities.

Finally, the gap remains substantial between the two sexes. “Regardless of country or age group, women are on average more likely than men to suffer from depression”points out the report.

• 

  Read also

  Diabetes, depression… Sleep disorders can have dangerous consequences on your health

More than 300,000 people responded to this European survey, including more than 14,000 in France. The prevalence of depression (or depressive syndrome) was assessed using the PHQ-8 (Patient Health Questionnaire), which is based on eight self-reported symptoms of depression. But there can be “certain limits” in this data, in particular because the collection of elements via a questionnaire on the Internet and not face to face, can vary the rates of depression, specifies the Drees. In addition, the Covid-19 pandemic and the numerous events that have occurred in recent years could have reshuffled the cards, and not necessarily for the better.