It’s hard to believe, but Americans are the unhappiest people on earth. That is the conclusion of a new study by the World Health Organization and the Harvard Medical School, which found that 9.6 percent of Americans suffer from depression or bipolar disorder ? the highest rate of the 14 nations surveyed. Our “Prozac nation” has a greater percentage of depressed people than war-torn Lebanon (6.6 percent); job-starved Mexico (4.8 percent); carefree, hedonistic Italy (3.8 percent); and overworked, socially rigid Japan (3.1 percent). And how’s this for a paradox: Nigeria, a land of desperate poverty, rampant corruption and violent tribal conflict, had the lowest depression rate of all ? just 0.8 percent. How can this be? One possibility is that when your life is a struggle for clean water and adequate food, you don’t have time to indulge in existential despair. In New York, on the other hand, a lawyer making $200,000 a year may find himself “depressed” if he doesn’t make partner in his mid-30s. It may also be that in less modern societies, people find comfort and meaning in their families, their religion and their cultural traditions.
Vince Siciliano, Wall Street Journal’s The Week Magazine, 3/23/07
Archive for the ‘Statistics’ Category
Startling Statistics on Depression
Wednesday, October 31st, 2007Men & Church
Wednesday, October 24th, 2007Less than 40% of church attendants at a typical worship service are men.
Men are the world’s largest unchurched people group, according to Church for Men, founded by David Murrow, author of Why Men Hate Going to Church. He argues that worship services today are typically built around feminine values, with worship songs that are sweet and sentimental and sermons that emphasize home, marriage and family. Men need more masculine imagery and more opportunities to use their unique skills. They have their own language, culture and needs. Murrow says that, rather than having a separate men’s ministry, churches need to integrate everything they do with a masculine spirit. Here are some of the suggestions Church for Men makes, based on their research: (more…)
About Daycare…
Wednesday, May 30th, 2007Analysis of the largest, longest running, and most comprehensive study of child care in the U.S. finds the more time children spend in center-based care before kindergarten, the more likely their teachers are to report such problem behaviors as ?gets in many fights,? ?disobedient,? and ?argues a lot.? The study confirms earlier Canadian research which found daycare children were 17 times more hostile than those raised at home, and 3 times more anxious. An ?05 study from England confirmed a mother?s care is best for toddlers? development, while nursery care is linked to higher aggression levels. … Child Development 3-4/07
Helping those with Cancer
Thursday, May 24th, 2007According to a recent survey 47 percent of terminal cancer patients say their spiritual needs are not being met by their religious community. - Source: Christianitytoday.com
The need for Community
Wednesday, May 2nd, 2007At a recent small groups conference at Saddleback Church Randy Frazee spoke on the ?call to community.? He reported the average American family manages 35 separate relationships on a day-to-day basis?children, extended family, neighbors, government, school, friends, work, Starbucks employees, landlords, telemarketers, etc. And this is before that family gets invited to church, which usually adds another 6 or more connections. He refers to this phenomenon as ?crowded loneliness.? We are in desperate need of meaningful relationships, yet too busy and too pulled to maintain them. Even worse, our attempts to relieve our sense of isolation often contribute to our fragmentation. Out of Ur 2/27/07