Understanding Depression
This year, 7% of Americans -- more than 19 million -- will suffer from mood disorders, mental disorders that include depression and mania. The economic cost of depression to the nation was estimated to range $30 to $44 billion in 1990. Depression affects not only people who are depressed, but also their families.
Depression is not equivalent to the ordinary experience of feeling down that commonly occurs in daily life. Depression is an illness that affects mood, body, behavior, and mind. The condition may be of such severity that the affected person may not be able to function normally and optimally. Depression can negatively impact important roles that the person fulfills, such as spouse, parent, and worker.
While more than 80% of people with depression could be substantially helped by available medications and therapies, the National Institute of Mental Health estimates that two-thirds of depressed people do not seek treatment and, therefore, suffer depressive symptoms unnecessarily to the detriment of self, family, and society.
Because depression often co-occurs with a number of prevalent medical conditions (e.g., stroke, heart disease, diabetes, and cancer), psychiatric disorders (e.g., eating disorders and anxiety disorders), and alcohol or drug abuse, the potential health benefits derived from treating depression are amplified beyond the favorable effects on depression itself.
