Influence of Ethnicity on Depression

Depression is a major mental disorder that causes significant impairment to the affected individual, interfering with the ability to lead a normal, functional life without appropriate treatment. Nearly 15 million adults in America have major depressive disorder. It is the leading cause of disability in the United States for 15- to-44 year olds, according to the National Institute of Mental Health.

Race

• It can be difficult to determine whether depression is a factor due to race, education or socioeconomic factors. A couple of studies have tried to isolate the factors to determine which is a real determinant in depression, a person's race or social level.

African Americans

• According to a 2005 study by the University of Michigan, African Americans suffer from major depression less than their white counterparts when the differences of education and income were removed from the equation. The study found, however, that African Americans suffer from chronic dysthemia, milder form of depression, at higher rates than whites.

Mexican Americans

• Mexican Americans like African Americans, suffering from major depressive disorder at lower rates than white Americans, but registering a higher rate of chronic dysthemia. Researchers theorize that more African and Mexican Americans have no insurance, and therefore are less likely to receive treatment, making the chronic nature of the dysthemia more likely.

Anglo Americans

• Anglo Americans have a significantly higher risk of developing major depressive disorder, and are more likely to have insurance and seek treatment. However, they are less likely to have dysthemia, especially when having education beyond the middle school level.

Significance

• It may be problematic to research the Mexican American responses in the depression study, as many have Spanish as their first language and the testing was conducted in English, leading to questionable validity in responses. Also, how immigration status affects depression could be a factor.