Chapter 16: Quiz
1. The four possible explanations for rising depression numbers are:
- A) More depression, more happiness, more awareness, more medication
- B) Genuine increase, increased awareness/reduced stigma, diagnostic expansion, and a combination of all three
- C) Social media, economic stress, climate anxiety, and pandemic effects
- D) Better treatment, worse treatment, no treatment, over-treatment
Answer: B. The chapter identifies genuine increase, better detection, diagnostic broadening, and a combination as the four explanatory frameworks.
2. The ER self-harm data is considered more reliable evidence of genuine increase because:
- A) ER data is always perfect
- B) A self-harm ER visit is a concrete event, less susceptible to definitional changes than survey responses or diagnoses
- C) ER doctors are never wrong
- D) Only depressed people go to the ER
Answer: B. Unlike survey responses (which depend on how "depression" is defined and understood by respondents), ER visits for self-harm represent concrete events that are less affected by awareness changes or diagnostic drift.
3. The removal of the bereavement exclusion in DSM-5 means:
- A) Grief is no longer considered normal
- B) Grief reactions that resemble depression can now be diagnosed as Major Depressive Disorder, potentially increasing diagnosis rates
- C) Only bereaved people can be diagnosed with depression
- D) Depression after loss is now impossible to treat
Answer: B. The DSM-IV excluded bereavement-related symptoms from MDD diagnosis for two months. The DSM-5's removal of this exclusion means clinicians can now diagnose MDD in people experiencing grief, which may increase rates.
4. The association between social media use and depression in large datasets is approximately:
- A) r = 0.70 (very strong)
- B) r = 0.40 (moderate)
- C) r = 0.10–0.15 (small — comparable to wearing glasses)
- D) r = 0.00 (no association)
Answer: C. Orben and Przybylski's analyses of large datasets find the association is small — comparable to the association between wearing glasses and wellbeing. This doesn't mean the effect is zero, but it challenges the "social media is the primary cause" narrative.
5. Which of the following is NOT a criterion for Major Depressive Disorder?
- A) Depressed mood most of the day, nearly every day
- B) Loss of interest or pleasure in most activities
- C) Feeling sad after a bad day at work
- D) Significant weight change or appetite disturbance
Answer: C. Feeling sad after a bad day is a normal emotional response, not a symptom of MDD. MDD requires specific symptoms present most of the day, nearly every day, for at least two weeks, causing significant impairment.
6. The "social media awareness paradox" refers to:
- A) Social media cures depression while also causing it
- B) Social media mental health content helps people recognize depression but also encourages over-identification through the Barnum effect, inflating perceived prevalence
- C) Social media is only used by depressed people
- D) Awareness campaigns on social media always work
Answer: B. The paradox: increased awareness is genuinely helpful for people who need it, but the same content (broad descriptions of depression symptoms) also leads to over-identification via the Barnum effect.
7. Antidepressant prescriptions have roughly tripled since the late 1990s. This means:
- A) Depression has tripled
- B) Prescriptions reflect both depression treatment AND use for anxiety, pain, insomnia, and other conditions, plus changes in prescriber habits and pharmaceutical marketing
- C) Antidepressants don't work
- D) Only three times as many people are depressed
Answer: B. Prescription rates are influenced by many factors beyond depression prevalence, including expanded use for other conditions, pharmaceutical marketing, and changes in prescriber practices.
8. The chapter's position on whether depression is "really" increasing is:
- A) Yes, definitely — it's an epidemic
- B) No — it's all awareness and diagnostic expansion
- C) Unresolved — multiple factors contribute, the proportions are debated, and the honest answer is that we don't know the exact breakdown
- D) The question can't be studied scientifically
Answer: C. The chapter rates the "depression epidemic" question as genuinely unresolved, with most experts believing multiple factors contribute but disagreeing on the relative proportions.
9. The chapter emphasizes that depression evaluation should be done by:
- A) Social media quizzes
- B) A qualified mental health professional who can distinguish clinical depression from ordinary sadness
- C) Friends and family
- D) Self-diagnosis through TikTok
Answer: B. The chapter consistently recommends professional evaluation over self-diagnosis, while acknowledging that awareness can be a helpful first step toward seeking professional help.
10. The most important takeaway from this chapter for someone currently experiencing depression is:
- A) "Your depression isn't real because the numbers are inflated"
- B) "Seek professional help — depression is treatable, and the questions about prevalence trends don't affect whether your individual suffering deserves care"
- C) "You should stop taking medication"
- D) "Social media caused your depression"
Answer: B. The chapter is explicit that individual suffering deserves professional care regardless of population-level debates about prevalence trends.