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What Is Depression?

Depression is a common yet complex mental health condition. People with depression feel sad, empty, or hopeless much of the time. It’s more than a case of the blues; depression looms like a storm cloud that won’t let sunshine peak through.

Featured Stories

12 Types of Depression, and What You Need to Know About Each

There's more than one kind of depression. Here, experts explain major depression, seasonal affective disorder, postpartum depression, and more.
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10 Signs You Should See a Doctor for Depression

Experts explain how to know when being down in the dumps has crossed over into full-blown depression.
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10 Things to Say (and 10 Not to Say) to Someone With Depression

What do you say to someone who’s depressed? All too often, it’s the wrong thing. Here is a list of helpful things to tell someone battling depression, and even more importantly, what not to say.
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How to Help Someone Who's Depressed

When someone is clinically depressed, you want to be there for that person. But keep in mind that this is a medical condition, so support may mean more than just offering a shoulder to cry on. Here are nine things you can do for someone with depression.
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12 Surprising Causes of Depression

There are many well-known depression triggers: Trauma, grief, financial troubles, and unemployment are just a few. But if you are depressed and none of these apply to you, it can be hard to pinpoint a specific cause.
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More on Depression

I'll Never Hide the Truth About My Suicide Attempt From My Kids

As a teen grappling with mental illness, Kimberly Zapata attempted suicide by overdosing. Now she's a mom of two young kids, and she makes the case for why her children need to know about it.
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I Shared My Phone Number With Thousands of People on Twitter—This Is What Happened

Jessica Ciencin Henriquez was itching to do something helpful for others when she invited strangers to message her their worries. But the experience helped her, too, in a way she never expected.
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Husband of Meteorologist Jessica Starr Says Eye Surgery Complications 'Triggered' Her Suicide

ā€œIf anyone would’ve told me or her family, and said she was capable of hurting herself,Ā I wouldn’t have believed you.ā€