Items Tagged With “Depression”

Clinical depression is one of the most common mental illnesses, affecting more than 19 million Americans each year. 

Anyone can experience clinical depression, regardless of race, gender, age, creed or income. Every year more than 19 million Americans suffer from some type of depressive illness. According to a Surgeon General report, African Americans are over-represented in populations that are particularly at risk for mental illness.

Depression is more than just “feeling blue” or having a bad day. And it’s different from feelings of grief or sorrow that follow a major loss, such as a death in the family. It’s not a personal weakness or a character flaw. Children and teens with clinical depression cannot simply “snap out of it.” 

Two years ago I wrote a children’s book devoted to these questions. It’s called, “What Does Depressed Mean? A Guidebook for Children with a Depressed Loved One.” Excerpted from the book, here are seven things that you can say to your child when you’re depressed. Written for a child …

Clinical depression is a common and serious medical illness that can be effectively treated.  The risk of clinical depression is often higher in individuals with serious medical illnesses, such as heart disease, stroke, cancer and diabetes. 

Young people sometimes turn to alcohol and drugs to cope with life’s frustrations, to feel more adult-like, to fit in, to rebel, or to satisfy their curiosity about drugs and drinking. Teens with depression or other mental health problems are particularly vulnerable to alcohol and drug use. 

When people are depressed, they may experience other health or mental health problems. To relieve the misery of depression, some people turn to drugs or alcohol.

Sometimes the multitude of life’s changes that occur during your college years can trigger serious depression.  At this vulnerable time, the smartest thing you can do for yourself is to seek help. 

Depression can affect men differently than it does women. When depression occurs in men, it may be more severe than in women and can be masked by unhealthy coping behavior.

Depression affects more than 19 million Americans every year, regardless of age, race, or gender.  While depression is not a normal part of the aging process, there is a strong likelihood of it occurring when other physical health conditions are present. 

It’s not unusual for young people to experience "the blues" or feel "down in the dumps" occasionally. Adolescence is always an unsettling time, with the many physical, emotional, psychological and social changes that accompany this stage of life.

Everyone gets down from time to time, but feelings of sadness that last two or more weeks may be a sign of clinical depression.  It is a real and serious health condition that affects more than 20 million American adults each year.

Everyone experiences sadness from time to time. But depression lasts longer, interferes with daily life and can cause physical pain. Fortunately, depression is highly treatable, and getting effective treatment is crucial. This question-and answer guide explains depression and how it can be treated successfully.

There are three types of emotional responses that can seem similar but are, in fact, quite different. 

Learn about the rates of mental illness based on familial relationship.

Millions of Americans have found relief from depression and other emotional difficulties through therapy. Even so, some people find it hard to get started or to stay in therapy. This brief question-and-answer guide provides some basic information to help individuals take advantage of outpatient (non-hospital) psychotherapy.

Myth 1:  A woman of childbearing age is no more vulnerable to depression than at any other time in her life.
False.  Women, who are twice as likely as men to be clinically depressed at some point in life, are most vulnerable to depression during their childbearing years.1

Depression is not a symptom of getting older. Losses that can be experienced in one’s older years are very real, but depression doesn’t have to be.

My story starts when I’m twenty-six years old and thinking about dying — actually, I’m not being entirely truthful. I’m about to attempt suicide in my bedroom in New York City.

Depression is a sneaky adversary. Hopefully what I learned can help you too.