There is a worldwide epidemic that not only affects our physical body, but also our psychological state. Just as the human body can become physically ill, the chances of becoming mentally ill have never been higher. Mental illness is any disease of the functioning of the mind. It is the psychological state in which a person has emotional or behavioral problems severe enough to require medical treatment. Clinical depression is one of the most common mental illnesses worldwide. When compared worldwide; Depression rates are higher in developed countries than in developing countries. Depression is more evident in developed nations due to income inequality, societal well-being, and level of awareness. Structural functionalism explains the immediate determinant of the increased prevalence of depression in developed countries. Clinical depression is one of the most common mental illnesses in the world. Clinical depression is a mood disorder in which the person may experience extreme feelings of sadness, loss, anger, or frustration that can help barricade the function of coping with daily life. This feeling lasts for a long period of time. There are many different types of depression such as chronic depression, seasonal depression, major depressive disorder, and postpartum depression. This disease does not discriminate. It attacks male, female, young, old, rich, poor and everything in between. However, statistics show that the rate of depression is higher in the developed world than in the developing world. Researchers at Stony Brook State University, collaborating with WHO's World Mental Health, surveyed 90,000 people in 18 countries in a global mental health questionnaire. The res...... middle of the document ......da, 2007."Mental health care for children and adolescents around the world: a review." World psychiatry. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1414760/.Turgeon, Jordan. "Depression in the world: where do countries stand?". The Huffington Post. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/07/27/depressed-ccountries_n_910345.html#s316418title=France_21 (accessed May 14, 2014). “Suicide rate up 30% in two years.” BBC News. http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-21145652. “Unhappiness by the Numbers: 2012 Depression Statistics.” Computer scientist. http://www.healthline.com/health/depression/statistics-infographic.World Health Organization. Caring for children and adolescents with mental disorders. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2003ShapeESSAY ON MENTAL ILLNESSShapeRabina JahanHSB 4U1-21: Societal Challenge and ChangeShapeMay 15, 2014