There has been speculation that ADHD rates in the US are higher, because the kind of entrepeneurially minded people who are likely to pick up and emigrate to a new country are likely to carry some genetic vulnerability to the disorder.

But seriously: we have a toxic culture in which maximum consumption is the primary concern. We're bombarded with messages which are calculated to instill in us an urgent sense of "needing" even the most trivial or poisonous things.

As to how we compare, I'm not familiar enough with other cultures to say anything with confidence. In my limited experience, however, societies where people actually have needs and goals which reflect a pursuit of survival and fulfillment -- rather than base consumption and accumulation of wealth -- tend to have a smaller proportion of people all scared and lonely and confused about their place in the universe.

1.  Russia is not on the list.  i would bet it leads the US in both depression and substance abuse.  I have read that the latter is so bad in Russia they cannot staff the army.

2.  This is a very competitive, unnurturing society.  Every male is supposed to be a little frontiersman on his own with no tears allowed from the time he is 2.  Women are idealized and also demonized.  Very conflicted culture.  And the competition just gets worse, with a very few winners who take all and very few losers.  No social fabric, no safety net.  Just a lot of gibberish about "family values" while the family is unbdermined econimically by the GOP.

So, when you read that something was published in JAMA, which is (rumor has it) peer reviewed, it just might be a good idea to cool it with the speculation and investigate a little bit.  And what would you find? This:

So, we can effectively remove all those speculations that get the US off the hook. The data are for real. Oh, and the sample sizes ["Sample sizes range from 1663 (Japan) to 9282 (United States)"] mean that the MOEs are narrower than we're commonly accustomed to.

The study itself notes a variety of problems with the data, which are not unusual in this kind of work. It's one reason that multiple studies are usually required before people feel confident in drawing broad conclusions--though more specific findings are on much sounder footing.  

That said, you don't need studies like this to know that the French and Italians have less problems with substance abuse than we do. They drink a lot more table wine, and have much lower levels of alcoholism. This accords with the ancient wisdom--moderation in all things--and the commonsense observation that temperance is generally more effective (and healthy) than abstinene.

Now, clearly one cannot generalize from one category to another--as the data in the table show. What is remarkable about the US is that we score so high in so many of the categories, which obviously have different causal modalities.  (Maybe if they didn't drink so much table wine, the French would be as anxious as us?)  But surely this calls for more self-examination. And surely, this is precisely what we lack, and why we have the political leadership we do.