Depression will affect one third of adults in the United States sometime during their lives. Although the median age of onset of depression is 25 years, the initial episode can occur at any age. Most persons who experience depressive symptoms have a minor depression. Fortunately, almost all sufferers recover completely from a single episode of depression. Major depression is a recurrent disorder, and the risk of further episodes increases with each subsequent episode.
Depression is a significant risk factor for suicide among men and women, young and old.
Most cases of depression are best treated with a combination of medication and psychological counseling or psychotherapy. Pharmacological approaches attempt to correct the chemical imbalance that is causing the depression. Treatment usually consists of medications and psychotherapy. Severe cases may warrant electroconvulsive therapy. This MediFocus Guide contains an extensive listing of citations and abstracts of recent journal articles that have been published about this condition in trustworthy medical journals.