“It’s so difficult to describe depression to someone who’s never been there because it’s not sadness. I know sadness. Sadness is to cry and to feel. But it’s that cold absence of feeling—that really hollowed-out feeling.” —J.K. Rowling, author

Clearly this author has some experience with depression. In the U.S. 17.3 million adults over the age of 18 experienced at least one major depressive episode in 2017. If you are currently struggling with depressive symptoms, or have in the past, you are not alone. Depression can significantly impact and impair daily functioning and is defined as; “a period of at least two weeks when a person experiences a depressed mood or loss of interest or pleasure in daily activities, and has a majority of specific symptoms, such as problems with sleep, eating, energy, concentration, or self-worth”.

Depression is not just an “adult” problem. Research estimates the prevalence of at least one major depressive episode among adolescents in the U.S. at 3.2 million in 2017 for youth age 12-17. Compared with 35% of adults, nearly 61% of adolescents go without treatment. The good news is depression is treatable, and most successfully with a combination of “talk therapy” and medication.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is a proven effective treatment intervention for depression and can assist with changing negative and unhelpful thinking patterns, improve sleep, set goals, improve decision making, re-engage in valued activities, and teach essential skills for coping.

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline
We can all help prevent suicide. The Lifeline provides 24/7, free and confidential support for people in distress, prevention and crisis resources for you or your loved ones, and best practices for professionals.

1-800-273-8255 (talk)
Suicide and Crisis Helpline 988
Text Helpline: text BRAVE to 741741

Depression Screening Tool

https://psychology-tools.com/test/zung-depression-scale

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline

We can all help prevent suicide. The Lifeline provides 24/7, free and confidential support for people in distress, prevention and crisis resources for you or your loved ones, and best practices for professionals.

1-800-273-8255