The Bigger the City, the Lower the Depression Rates?
Posted on Aug 03 2021
U.S. News & World Report
Americans living in big cities have relatively low rates of depression, despite the hustle and bustle — or maybe because of it, a new study suggests. Researchers found that compared with smaller U.S. cities, big urban hubs generally had lower rates of depression among residents. And they think the pattern can be explained, in part, by the wide range of social interactions that busy cities provide. "Social connections do serve as an antidepressant,” said Ken Duckworth, CMO of NAMI. To Duckworth, the new study brings up "important questions" about whether a greater number of social interactions — of all kinds — affect people's depression risk. But he also said that a good relationship with family and friends likely makes the biggest difference. Duckworth said he would be interested to see whether the pandemic altered the pattern seen in this study. Includes a links to NAMI resources for dealing with depression.