Cast Away screenwriter William Broyles Jr. got his start on the ABC drama China Beach . The Brain Gain Researcher Cynthia Bethea hopes monkeys can help her unlock the mystery of female depression. Each year almost 10 million Americans suffer from clinical depression. Shattering a person's ability to lead life on his or her own terms ought to be curse aplenty. But the illness so tweaks human behavior that it can steal careers, relationships and most every other link to commonplace society.
Depression hits women at more than twice the rate as men.
And women attempt suicide three times more often than men, according to the National Institute of Mental Health. A decade ago, Cynthia Bethea began researching the depression gap. She's a neuroendocrinologist at the Oregon Regional Primate Research Center in Hillsboro. Of the eight federally funded primate research centers, OHSU's facility is one of the oldest and most respected. Most basic researchers, however, chase what speaks to their pure intellect.