Feeling blue is normal. Bouts of sadness, disinterest, or lack of motivation happen to everyone. But when those feelings persist for more than two weeks, it’s more than just a run-of-the-mill bad day. It’s depression.
In 2014, almost 7% of American adults reported experiencing an episode of depression in the year before the survey. That means 15.7 million adults in this country felt hopeless, discouraged, irritable, and unhappy, and these feelings affected all aspects of their lives.
That’s why diagnosis and treatment of depression is so important. Today we sit down with psychiatrist Guy Maytal and primary care physician Monique Tello, both from Massachusetts General Hospital. They’re here to help us fully understand depression and the different treatment options for anyone suffering from persistent blues.