1. Understanding Depression Slideshow
2. Take the Depression Quiz
3. Benefits of Depression Treatment

Medical Author:

Roxanne Dryden-Edwards, MD

Roxanne Dryden-Edwards, MD

Dr. Roxanne Dryden-Edwards is an adult, child, and adolescent psychiatrist. She is a former Chair of the Committee on Developmental Disabilities for the American Psychiatric Association, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland, and Medical Director of the National Center for Children and Families in Bethesda, Maryland.

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Medical Editor:

William C. Shiel Jr., MD, FACP, FACR

William C. Shiel Jr., MD, FACP, FACR

Dr. Shiel received a Bachelor of Science degree with honors from the University of Notre Dame. There he was involved in research in radiation biology and received the Huisking Scholarship. After graduating from St. Louis University School of Medicine, he completed his Internal Medicine residency and Rheumatology fellowship at the University of California, Irvine. He is board-certified in Internal Medicine and Rheumatology.

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In this Article

• Depression facts
• What is a depressive disorder?
• What are myths about depression?
• What are the types of depression, and what are depression symptoms and signs?
• Depression symptoms and signs in men
• Depression symptoms and signs in women
• Depression symptoms and signs in teenagers
• Depression symptoms and signs in children
• What are the causes and risk factors of depression?
• Postpartum depression
• How is depression diagnosed?
• What treatments are available for depression?
• What is the general approach to treating depression?
• What about sexual dysfunction related to antidepressants?
• What about discontinuing antidepressants?
• What are complications of depression?
• What is the prognosis for depression?
• How can depression be prevented?
• What about self-help and home remedies?
• How can someone help a person who is depressed?
• Where can one seek help for depression?
• What is in the future for depression?
• Where can people find more information about depression?
• Depression FAQs
• Patient Comments: Depression - Treatments
• Patient Comments: Depression - Symptoms in Teens
• Patient Comments: Depression - Therapy
• Find a local Psychiatrist in your town
• Depression Index

For further information about depression, please visit the following sites:

Suicide Awareness Voices of Education (SAVE)
http://www.save.org/

APA: Women and Depression (American Psychological Association)
http://www.apa.org/pi/women/
programs/depression/index.aspx

For additional information, you can write or call the following organizations:

D/ART/Public Inquiries; National Institute of Mental Health
Room 15C-05
5600 Fishers Lane
Rockville, MD 20857

National Foundation for Depressive Illness
20 Charles Street
New York, NY 10014

National Depressive and Manic Depressive Association
730 N. Franklin, Suite 501
Chicago, IL 60601
Phone: 800-826-3632
Phone: 312-642-0049
Fax: 312-642-72433
http://www.ndmda.org/

National Mental Health Association
1021 Prince Street
Alexandria, VA 22314-2971
800-969-NMHA (6642)
http://www.nmha.org/

National Alliance for the Mentally Ill
2101 Wilson Boulevard
Suite 302
Arlington, VA 22201
HelpLine: 800-950-NAMI [6264]
http://www.nami.org/

National Alliance for Research on Schizophrenia and Affective Disorders (NARSAD)
60 Cutter Mill Road, Suite 404
Great Neck, NY 11021 USA
Infoline: 800-829-8289
http://www.narsad.org/

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)
5600 Fishers Lane
Rockville, MD 20857
http://www.samhsa.gov

Surgeon General's Report on Mental Illness
To receive a copy of this report, write or call:
Mental Health
Pueblo, Co 81009
800-789-2647

The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) for the Depression Awareness, Recognition, and Treatment (DART) program furnished a portion of the foregoing information.

Previous contributing authors and editor:

Medical Authors: Dennis Lee, MD, and Peter J. Panzarino Jr., MD, FAPA
Medical Editor: Leslie J. Schoenfield, MD, PhD

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