Awareness and Treatment Can Improve Overall Health and Reduce Suffering

Clinical depression commonly co-occurs with general medical illnesses, though it often goes undetected and untreated. In fact, while the rate of major depression among persons in the community is estimated to be between two to four percent, among primary care patients it is between five and ten percent and among medical inpatients it is between ten and fourteen percent. And an additional two to three times as many persons in these groups experience depressive symptoms. Research suggests that recognition and treatment of co-occurring depression may improve the outcome of the medical condition, enhance quality of life, and reduce the degree of pain and disability experienced by the medical patient.

What Is Depression?

Clinical depression is a common and highly treatable illness affecting over 19 million American adults-- with or without a co-occurring condition-- this year. Unfortunately, nearly two thirds of them do not get treatment, in part, because the effects of depression are not understood to be symptoms of an illness. With proper treatment, however, nearly 80% of those with depressive illness can feel better, and most within a matter of weeks.

Depression: A Whole Body Illness

Depression affects mood, thought, body, and behavior. For some, it occurs in one or more relatively severe episodes, known as major depression. Others have ongoing, less severe but also debilitating symptoms, known as dysthymia. And still others have bipolar disorder (also known as manic depressive illness), where episodes of terrible "lows" alternate with excessive "highs".