Depression is a serious medical condition that affects the body, mood, and thoughts. It affects the way one eats and sleeps, one’s self concept, and the way one thinks about things. A depressive disorder is not the same as a passing blue mood. It is not a sign of personal weakness or a condition that can be willed or wished away. People with a depressive illness cannot merely “pull themselves together” and get better. Without treatment, symptoms can last for weeks, months, or years. Appropriate treatment, however, often involving medication and/or short term psychotherapy, can help most people who suffer from depression.

Depression can strike anyone regardless of age, ethnic background, socio-economic status, or gender; however, large-scale research studies have found that depression is about twice as common in women as in men. In the United States, researchers estimate that in any given one-year period, depressive illnesses affect 19 million Americans.