British Medical Bulletin 57:3-15 (2001)
© 2001 Oxford University Press
Classification, disability and the public health agenda
Depression and public health
Department of Psychological Medicine, University of Wales College of Medicine, Cardiff, UK
Depression is a common and disabling illness. For some time the disability has been relatively neglected by those interested in public health. Public health priorities have largely been determined by statistics on mortality. The World Health Organization has argued for some time that public health should be concerned with adding life to years as well as adding years to life. This article will argue that depression should be a key priority for public health research.