Depression

Adolescents who suffer from depression are more likely to experience depression in adulthood and are at a higher risk of suicide and suicide attempts. Depressed adolescents have a 14-fold higher risk of a first suicide attempt in their lifetimes and are twice as likely to experience depression as adults. Adults who were depressed as adolescents usually have more problems with work, family and social life, a lower educational achievement and lower social class, and are hospitalized more often than their healthy counterparts.

Depression, the most common serious psychiatric problem, affects nearly 20 million Americans every year. The majority never seek help, which is a shame because 80 to 90 percent of people with depressive illness get better with treatment. Treatment is usually medication, psychotherapy or a combination.

According to the American Psychological Association, one in four women is likely to experience severe depression, and it's about twice as common in women as men. While experts debate just why that is, they suspect it's caused by a combination of biological, psychological and social factors that play out differently in men's and women's lives.

For more information contact the Women's Health Resource Center at (415) 600-0500, the Community Health Resource Center at (415) 923-3155 or the Institute for Health and Healing at (415) 600-3660.

What you can do…