Depression and public health

Abstract

Depression is a common and disabling condition of importance from the perspective of public health. Public health is concerned with identifying causing factors that can inform population based preventive strategies and the links between social policy and health. Evidence is reviewed that this approach is an appropriate method of studying the common mental disorders, depression and anxiety. A probable cause relationship exists between the prevalence of low income and common mental disorder, independent of the association between social class and common mental disorder. There is a possibility that changes in social policy that would reduce income inequality could reduce the prevalence of common mental disorder.