Depression: The full-scale tumble

According to experts, major depression is, in fact, one of the most common psychiatric disorders among people in the United States, affecting over 15 million Americans, many of whom are misdiagnosed, under-diagnosed, and not receiving treatment, despite its availability.

Though it is normal to feel blue, sad, or depressed in response to many of life's common experiences, such as the death of a loved one, divorce, loss of a job, or an unhappy ending to a long-term relationship, people with major depressive disorder experience a form of chronic mood disorder that involves, on a day-to-day basis, extreme and persistent sadness, despair, and hopelessness. People with this disorder usually lose the ability to experience pleasure. They typically feel discouraged by life and circumstances, and experience sleep disturbances, loss of appetite, weight loss or gain, loss of energy, extreme exhaustion, and difficulty in thinking and concentrating. In addition, they may experience feelings of intense guilt and worthlessness and may become suicidal. In fact, approximately 15 percent of those suffering from severe depression will eventually attempt suicide or succeed in committing suicide. Usually, people with major depression show at least some impairment of social and occupational functioning, although their behavior is not necessarily bizarre.

Prevalence rates indicate the percentage of a population that experiences a specific disorder. According to the National Institutes of Mental Health (NIMH), major depressive disorder strikes about 14-15 million Americans per year. Typically, women experience depression at nearly two times the rate of men, or between 8-11 percent of men and 19-23 percent of women. About 6 percent of women and 3 percent of men have experienced episodes severe enough to require hospitalization. There is one notable exception to these findings, however. Among Jews, males are equally as likely as females to have major depressive episodes. In recent years, there has also been a noteworthy increase in depression among adolescents, particularly among adolescent girls, and perhaps in Native American and homosexual young people as well. Writers, composers, and entertainers also seem to have higher than expected rates of major depression, and people experiencing chronic, unrelenting pain have the highest rates of any group.

Typically, major depressive episodes can occur at any age, but the first episode usually occurs before the age of 40. Some people experience one bout of depression and never have problems again; however, many others have recurrences throughout their lives. Stressful life events are often catalysts for these recurrences. Of particular note is the fact that depression appears to be increasing in prevalence among children and adolescents as well as among the elderly.

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