Mental health: Is Chile a depressed country?

 http://www.santiagotimes.cl/blogs/161-matthew-owens/26329-mental-health-is-chile-a-depressed-country

This article is about the mental health in Chile, specifically of the depression illness. In an index of the organization for economic cooperation and development (OECD), our country gets one of the lower places.

 A research of the University of Concepcion shows that the thirty one percent of the population will suffer a type of psychiatric problem in his life. The most common types are emotional disorders in females, and alcohol and substance problems are more likely in men.

Then, to give some response to the main question, the article shows some psychiatric symptoms experienced in mayor depression like recurring thoughts of death, felling worthless or excessively guilty, sleeping too little or too much, among others.

The author continues saying the big cost that it will be in the future to the entire world thanks to this disease. The cost is monetary, individual and social, giving as the example a research where a considerably part of their adolescents consider and actively planned to commit suicide.

However, he mentions some good news. One of this, is the progress accomplished in the AUGE plan (2004), where the treatment of the depression it’s a priority.  Joined to the previous, he mention that the early interventions in the young people will be crucial to reduce this illness in the population, because the adolescence it’s a critical period for the psychological problems.

Finally, he said that depression is similar in other countries, but here in Chile is a little higher. This disparity it could be for -in the authors word- the huge inequality lived here.