"Minor depression is a common disorder that may impair a person's functioning and quality of life and is a serious risk factor for major depression."

"Some people who have not had a problem with alcohol use may be permitted by their doctor to use a modest amount of alcohol while taking one of the newer antidepressants."

Where to Get Help


If unsure where to go for help, check the Yellow Pages under "mental health," "health," "social services," "suicide prevention," "crisis intervention services," "hotlines," "hospitals," or "physicians" for phone numbers and addresses. In times of crisis, the emergency room doctor at a hospital may be able to provide temporary help for an emotional problem, and will be able to tell you where and how to get further help.

Listed below are the types of people and places that will make a referral to, or provide, diagnostic and treatment services.

* Family doctors
* Mental health specialists, such as psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, or mental health counselors
* Health maintenance organizations
* Community mental health centers
* Hospital psychiatry departments and outpatient clinics
* University- or medical school-affiliated programs
* State hospital outpatient clinics
* Family service, social agencies, or clergy
* Private clinics and facilities
* Employee assistance programs
* Local medical and/or psychiatric societies

"CBT is based on the premise that people with depression have cognitive distortions in their views of themselves, the world, and the future."

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"The most important thing anyone can do for a man who may have depression is to help him get to a doctor for a diagnostic evaluation and treatment."

Columbia Healthcare

"In some families, depressive disorders seem to occur generation after generation; however, they can also occur in people with no family history of these illnesses."

Lifetime Healthcare Products

"Sometimes the doctor will try a variety of antidepressants before finding the most effective medication or combination of medications."

Wyeth Consumer Healthcare

"Sometimes the doctor will try a variety of antidepressants before finding the most effective medication or combination of medications."

Healthcare Cartoons

"Depending on the patient's diagnosis and severity of symptoms, the therapist may prescribe medication and/or one of the several forms of psychotherapy that have proven effective for depression."