The Prevalence and Distribution of Major Depression in a National Community Sample: the National Comorbidity Survey

To estimate the prevalence of psychiatric comorbidity in the USA, 8098 people were surveyed. From the survey data, the prevalence of current major depression was estimated to be 4.9%, with a relatively higher presence in females, young adults, & persons with less than a college education. Findings suggest a greater burden of major depression in community-dwelling persons than has been estimated previously. Significant differences were found between persons with pure & combined major depression.