Infographic Analysis

For this post, I decided to look at an infographic that relates to mental health, more specifically depression. This is a subject that is very personal to many people, and myself, and for that reason it is rarely talked about, or at least not as talked about as it should be. But infographics are about revealing connections that aren’t apparent in a purely text-based format. They combine easy-to-grasp visuals with pertinent text/data. And it seems to be a great tool for getting a macro view of mental health.

People that haven't dealt with depression tend to have a very narrow pov of it. Even people who know someone who's dealt with depression tend to focus on the individual symptoms, which is of course, perfectly fine. But then that ignores how depression affects other facets of the person’s life: their studies or work, their familial relationships and their friendships, their financial stability, the remainder of their health, and so on. It also forgets to take the ultimate macro view and see how millions of people suffering from depression can impact companies and governments.

In this infographic, we can see that not only is depression on the rise, but it is a lot more ubiquitous than one might have thought. The infographic seems to follow a list format, which groups together different elements and presents them as a list instead of seeking a cause and effect, basing the data on time, or looking to compare different subjects. This infographic breaks down the data into three main sections: the rate of depression in the US, the cost of depression (i.e. the costs on the economy and the person’s health), and the benefits of seeking treatment. I would say that the infographic is successful in informing its target audience as well as keeping them engaged with interesting visuals.

It's difficult to find something to improve because it does a good job of covering the main topics surrounding depression. However, one thing that I might add is the data for how many cases go undiagnosed. By bringing awareness to how many cases go under the radar it can make people more alert and open to talk about it with their loved ones.

Works Cited

Cooley, Mike. "Human-Centered Design." Information Design, edited by Robert Jacobson, MIT Press, 2000, pp. 59-81.

"Depression: More Common Than You Think." Workplace Mental Health, https://workplacementalhealth.org/getmedia/32e6b597-822a-4d4c-8af2-337186bd68dd/Depression-Infographic-Cover., Accessed 19 Mar. 2023.