Statistics

Depression is not a passing illness that will easily run its course and disappear. It is a disease that needs treatment. Without treatment, depression can affect a person for weeks, months and years.

• 1 in 4 women are likely to experience clinical (severe) depression.
• Annually, 17.6 million American adults or 10% of the population suffer from a depressive disorder.
• Women have a higher risk of clinical depression than men.
• Only about 1/5 of women with clinical depression will get the treatment they need.
• Untreated depression is the number one cause of suicide.

Symptoms
There are many symptoms of depression. Some women experience more severe symptoms than others. These may include:

• Persistent sad, anxious or “empty” mood
• Feelings of hopelessness, worthlessness, helplessness, guilt and pessimism
• Insomnia or oversleeping
• Loss of appetite and weight loss
• Overeating and weight gain
• Decreased energy and fatigue
• Social withdrawal; refusal to go out, to see friends
• Thoughts of death and suicide

Risk Factors

Reproductive Issues: In women who want children, infertility can be a source of depression. Miscarriages and surgical menopause can also cause depression.

Sexual and Physical Abuse: At least 37% of women have experienced sexual or physical abuse by the age of 21. Abuse often leads to depression.

Marriage and Children: Mothers of young children are vulnerable to depression. The more children a woman has, the more likely it is that she'll experience depression.

Poverty: Poverty is a pathway to depression. 75% of people living in poverty in the U.S. are women and children.

No two people experience depression exactly the same way. Many people have only some of the symptoms, which can vary drastically in severity and duration. For some people, symptoms occur in episodes and for others symptoms can be present for long periods if no treatment is given. Having some depressive symptoms does not mean a person is clinically depressed. Only when these symptoms persist for an unusually long time is there reason to suspect that grief has become depressive illness.

Treatment can alleviate the symptoms in over 80 % of the cases. Yet, because it often goes unrecognized, depression continues to cause unnecessary suffering. Remember, depression is real, common, and treatable.