Depression and its impact in public health

Abstract

The prevalence of depression has increased in the recent decades due to the focus on detecting psychiatric illnesses. The purpose of conducting the bibliographic review was to define depression and to expose the impact it causes on public health at a global level. It will begin by defining depression,the main predisposing factors will be listed, the possible symptoms and signs that can be found in the different age groups will be exposed and the impact on the world economy will continue. Various articles found in the databases of the Virtual Health Library of Honduras (BVS), PubMed, ResearchGate, JAMA, ElServier, SciELO were used; Concomitantly, conference proceedings, technical reports, theses, norms and standards were used to define major depressive disorder, for the period 2000 - 2021. It is concluded that depression maintains a high prevalence globally, mainly affecting the population in situations of socioeconomic underdevelopment, with variable symptoms according to different risk factors, generating work disability and negatively impacting the world economy.