Does depression affect males, females, or both?
Anyone, male or female, can get depressed. However, in the United States, women become depressed about twice as often as men. At what age does depression appear? Depression can strike a person at any age. Even small children can become depressed if they experience a serious loss such as the death of a parent. (Read more about Childhood Depression.) Depression is quite common in adolescence and adulthood. Also, it is not unusual to find depression in the geriatric population where loss is so evident. How often is depression seen in our society? Depression is very prevalent in our society. Today, more than 10 million Americans are being treated for depression. How is depression diagnosed? A mental health professional arrives at the diagnosis of depression by taking a careful, personal history from the client/patient. The personal history consists of the recent events associated with the depressed mood, a past history, and a family history. The client/patient may be asked to complete a mo
