September 24, 2012 According to William Eaton, PhD, the Sylvia
and Harold Halpert Professor in Mental Health and chair of the
Bloomberg School's Department of Mental Health, “Depression is
responsible for a higher percentage of disability-adjusted life
years around the world than other important chronic medical
conditions such as heart disease or diabetes, and it leads to
greater absenteeism and loss of productivity at work.”
Depression may exhibit itself in one of many different ways,
including feelings of sadness, “emptiness,” restlessness,
problems sleeping, fatigue, or inability to concentrate;
unintended weight changes and suicidal thoughts or actions. How
does one differentiate between occasional sad feelings and
actual depression? The U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services suggests that if a cluster of these feelings last for
more than two weeks, one may be clinically depressed. The best
step to take if someone fears that he or she or someone they
love is experiencing depression is to talk with a