Liu Q, Hea H, Yang J, et al. - From the Global Burden of Disease study, researchers obtained information on the global burden of depression and to assess changes in its burden between 1990 and 2017. For this work, they used the age-standardized incidence rate (ASR) and the estimated annual percentage change. They observed an increase in the number of incident cases of depression worldwide from 172 million in 1990 to 25.8 million in 2017, an increase of 49.86%. The 195 analyzed countries and regions showed wide variation in the ASR of depression in 2017, being highest in Lesotho (6.59 per 1,000) and lowest in Myanmar (1.28 per 1,000). Between 1990 and 2017, the ASR increased the most in Belgium and decreased the most in Cuba. Regions with a high sociodemographic index, such as high-income North America, showed an increase in ASR, while it decreased significantly in South Asia. Both globally and in various countries, the proportions of the population with major depressive disorder and dysthymia were fundamentally constant, with a much larger proportion having major depressive disorder. These findings indicate the persistence of depression as a major public health issue, and emphasize supporting the research necessary to develop better prevention and treatment interventions.