Home | More Health Articles | Men | Women | Stress | SexualityA new brochure, "Depression: What Every Woman Should Know," is available through the National Institute of Mental Health's Depression Awareness, Recognition and Treatment (D/ART) Program. For a free copy, call 1-800-421-4211.
The NIMH estimates that 17 million people in the United States -- or one in ten adults -- experience depression each year. Nearly two-thirds do not get the help they need. Treatment can alleviate the symptoms in over 80 percent of cases. Yet, because it often goes unrecognized, depression continues to cause unnecessary suffering.
Women are twice as likely to have depression as men. Many factors that appear to contribute to depression are common to both women and men. Although specific causes of depression in women remain unclear, varied factors unique to women's lives are suspected to contribute to depression -- developmental, reproductive, hormonal, genetic, and other biological factors; abuse and oppression; interpersonal factors; and certain psychological and personality characteristics.
Research continues to explore how the illness affects women and to identify new areas that hold promise of deepening our understanding. At the same time, it is important to increase women's awareness of what is already known about depression, so that they seek early and appropriate treatment.
The preceding information provided as a public service by:
Mental Health Association of Colorado, Inc.
6795 East Tennessee Avenue, Suite 425
Denver, Colorado 80224 U.S.A.
Telephone: (303) 377-3040
FAX: (303) 377-4920