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National Institutes of Health
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Depression

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Special Groups and Depression:

What is Depression?

Depression is a serious medical illness; it’s not something that you have made up in your head. It’s more than just feeling "down in the dumps" or "blue" for a few days. It’s feeling "down" and "low" and "hopeless" for weeks at a time. more >>

Signs & Symptoms of Depression

Treatment of Depression

A variety of treatments including medications and short-term psychotherapies have proven effective for depression. more >>

Depression and Other Illnesses
Depression often co-exists with other illnesses. Such illnesses may precede the depression, cause it, and/or be a consequence of it.

Publications

Read, print, or order NIMH booklets, fact sheets, and other publications on depression such as:

Stories of Depression
An introductory booklet describing signs, symptoms, treatment options, how to get help, and how to help someone who may have depression.

Depression.
A detailed booklet that describes major depression, dysthymia, and bipolar disorder (manic-depression); lists symptoms; reviews possible causes; tells how depression is diagnosed; and discusses available treatments.

Men and Depression.
A detailed booklet that describes what you need to know about depression in men: How it looks, how it feels, getting help, and getting better (PDF format, 36pgs).

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