Mindfulness: A practical guide to finding peace in a frantic world

by J. Mark G. Williams

Depression is taking a staggering toll on the modern world. Around 10 per cent of the population can expect to become clinically depressed over the coming year. And things are likely to become worse. The World Health Organization1 estimates that depression will impose the second-biggest health burden globally by 2020. Think about that for a moment. Depression will impose a bigger burden than heart disease, arthritis and many forms of cancer on both individuals and society in less than a decade. Depression used to be an illness of the late middle-aged; now it strikes most people first when they are in their mid-twenties, and a substantial number of people suffer their first bout in their teens.2 It can also persist, with around 15–39 per cent of sufferers still depressed after one year. Around one-fifth remain depressed for two or more years – the definition of ‘chronic’ depression.3 But the scariest thing of all is that depression tends to return. If you’ve been depressed once, there is a 50 per cent chance of a recurrence – even if you’ve made a full recovery.