Understanding Depression

Depression has been a scourge of humanity since the dawn of ages. Vivid images from historical and religious texts describe sufferers of the illness we now know as depression. An “equal opportunity” illness, it exempts no one based on race, sex, creed, religion, social status, or nation of origin. It affects one in five of us and its potentially lethal outcome—suicide—is the third leading cause of death among American teenagers. What is this illness that costs us $44 billion each year? What...