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Cited by 135Mental Health Treatment and AccessTreatment of Major DepressionPsychological Treatments and Disorders

Prevalence of major depressive disorder in the general population of South Korea

Ohayon, Maurice M., Hong, Seung-Chul·2006·Journal of Psychiatric Research
DOI 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2005.02.003
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Abstract

Introduction Previous epidemiological studies have reported a high prevalence of major depressive disorder (MDD) in North America and Western Europe. However, little information exists on MDD in Asian countries. This study investigates the prevalence of MDD and its characteristics in the general population of South Korea.Methods A representative sample of the South Korean general population composed of 3719 non-institutionalized individuals aged 15 years or older was interviewed by telephone using the Sleep-EVAL system. The participation rate was 91.4%. The interviews covered sociodemographic characteristics, health care utilization, physical illnesses and Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fourth edition (DSM-IV) psychiatric disorders.Results A depressive mood, i.e., feeling sad, downcast, having the blues or having lost interest in things formerly pleasant was reported by 20.9% of the sample without significant difference between men and women and among age groups. DSM-IV MDD was found in 3.6% (95% CI: 3.0-4.2%) of the sample. The prevalence of MDD was comparable among age groups. Shift workers were more likely to have MDD than daytime workers. Factor significantly associated with MDD were: being a woman, being a light or heavy smoker, perceiving one's health as being average or poor, doing physical activities at least three times per week in the evening, having a BMI below 18.5 kg/m2 and perceiving one's life as being moderately or highly stressful.Conclusions Prevalence of MDD in Korea is higher than what it was previously estimated to be two decades ago. The number of individuals seeking help for depression was very low, and only a small number of MDD subjects received appropriate treatment for their condition.

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  • Studies examining the association between shift work and major depressive disorder have produced varied results.

    “Nonetheless, studies examining the association between shift work and MDD have produced varied results68–70.”

    From Circadian rhythm disruption and mental health (2020) · cites this paper as [68]

  • In a population of about 4000 South Koreans, the prevalence of major depressive disorder among shift/night workers was significantly increased relative to daytime workers.

    “For example, in a population of ~4000 South Koreans, the prevalence of MDD among shift/night workers was significantly increased relative to daytime workers68.”

    From Circadian rhythm disruption and mental health (2020) · cites this paper as [68]

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Authors
Ohayon, M. M., & Hong, S.-C.
Affiliations
  • Stanford Medicine (US)
  • The Catholic University of Korea St. Vincent's Hospital (KR)
Corresponding author
Ohayon, Maurice M.
ORCID
Venue
Journal of Psychiatric Research
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2006-02
Volume
40
Issue
1
Pages
30-36
ISSN
0022-3956 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1016/j.jpsychires.2005.02.003
OpenAlex
W2064537531
Cited by
135
References
29
Citations by year
2026: 1 · 2025: 3 · 2024: 6 · 2023: 5 · 2022: 5 · 2021: 13 · 2020: 4 · 2019: 6 · 2018: 9 · 2017: 12 · 2016: 5 · 2015: 12 · 2014: 12 · 2013: 8 · 2012: 4
FWCI
5.81
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Licence
www.elsevier.com/tdm/userlicense/1.0/ (tdm)
Locations
  • Journal of Psychiatric Research (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders
Eli Lilly and Company
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Mental Health Treatment and Access
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Pharmacology › Treatment of Major Depression
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Psychological Treatments and Disorders
Keywords
major depressive disorder, prevalence, South Korea, depressive mood, risk factors, shift work, smoking, health perception, body mass index, life events, underutilization of mental health services
MeSH terms
Adolescent, Adult, Age Factors, Aged, Cross-Sectional Studies, Cross-Cultural Comparison, Depression, Depressive Disorder, Major, Major Depressive Disorder, Diagnosis, Computer-Assisted, Europe, Expert Systems, Female, Humans, Interviews as Topic, Korea, Male, Middle Aged, North America, Referral and Consultation, Sex Factors, Sleep Wake Disorders, Statistics as Topic, Incidence, Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Knowledge Bases

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