I'll Be Fine

Samaritans: This nonprofit organization offers emotional support to anyone who has feelings of depression or loneliness or who is considering suicide. Call or text 877-870-4673 (HOPE) to contact them.

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: Call 1-800-273- 8255 (TALK) to speak with someone from this national network of local crisis centers.

Lifeline Chat: This is an online chat service of the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.

Suicide prevention

If you know someone at immediate risk of self-harm, suicide, or hurting another person:

Call 911 or the local emergency number.

Stay with the person until professional help arrives.

Remove any weapons, medications, or other potentially harmful objects.

Listen to the person without judgment.

If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, a prevention hotline can help. The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is available 24 hours a day at 1-800-273-8255.

Is depression genetic?

A person with a parent or sibling who has depression is two-to-three times more likely than the general public to develop the condition.

However, many people with depression have no family history of it.

A recent study suggests that susceptibility to depression may not result from genetic variation. The researchers acknowledge that while depression could be inherited, many other issues also influence its development.

Learn more about whether depression has a genetic link.

Is it a disability?

Depression is the leading cause of disabilityTrusted Source around the world, according to the WHO.

In the U.S., the Social Security Administration consider depressive, bipolar, and related disorders to be disabilities. If a person’s depression prevents them from working, they may qualify for social security disability insurance benefits.

The person must have worked long enough and recently enough to qualify for disability benefits. For more information, visit the administration’s website.

Is it curable?

While there is no cure for depression, there are effective treatments that help with recovery. The earlier treatment starts, the more successful it may be.

Many people with depression recover after following a treatment plan. Even with effective treatment, however, a relapse may occur.

To prevent relapse, people who take medication for depression should continue with treatment — even after symptoms improve or go away — for as long as their doctor advises.

Find some tips to help prevent depression from returning.

Triggers

Triggers are emotional, psychological, or physical events or circumstances that can cause depression symptoms to appear or return.

These are some of the most common triggers:

Stressful life events, such as loss, family conflicts, and changes in relationships.

Incomplete recovery after having stopped treatment too soon

Medical conditions, such as obesity, heart disease, and diabetes.

Find out more about depression triggers.

Risk factors

Some people have a higher risk of depression than others.

Risk factors include:

experiencing certain life events, such as bereavement, work issues, changes in relationships, financial problems, and medical concerns

experiencing acute stress

having a lack of successful coping strategies

having a close relative with depression

using some prescription drugs, such as corticosteroids, some beta-blockers, and interferon

using recreational drugs, such as alcohol or amphetamines

having sustained a head injury

having had a previous episode of major depression

having a chronic condition, such as diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), or cardiovascular disease

living with persistent pain

Statistics

During any given year in the U.S., major depression affects over 16.1 million people aged 18 or older, or around 6.7% of the adult population.

According to the CDC, 3.2%Trusted Source of children and adolescents between the ages of 3 and 17 years — about 1.9 million individuals — have received a diagnosis of depression.

The CDC also note that 7.6%Trusted Source of people aged 12 years or over in the U.S. have depression in any 2-week period.

Read the article in Spanish.

Last medically reviewed on November 22, 2019

BipolarDepressionMental HealthPsychology / Psychiatry

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