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Depression

Depression

U.S Food and Drug Administration

Depression

Everyone gets sad at times. But for those with depression, bad feelings come often. And these feelings get in the way of every day life.

About 12% of women in the U.S. suffer from depression. (That's almost 2 times as many as men.) Many people don't know the signs of depression. So they suffer when they do not need to. The good news is that almost 80% of depressed people get better with treatment.

What is clinical depression?

What are the three main types of clinical depression?

What causes depression?

What are the signs of depression?

How can I tell if I am depressed?

A person is clinically depressed if he or she has five or more of these symptoms and has not been acting normal for most days during the same two-week period.

If a person is bipolar or has manic depression, they may have signs of depression which may also include signs of mania.

What are the signs of mania?

How is depression treated?

Depression is usually treated with both medicine (antidepressants) and counseling (talk therapy).

When taking your medicine, keep in mind ...

To learn more:

National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
6001 Executive Blvd., Rm. 8184, MSC 9663, Bethesda, MD 20892
301-443-4513
www.nimh.nih.gov

Food and Drug Administration
FDA's Office of Women's Health website
www.fda.gov/womens

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