Depression facts are astounding when describing the 17 million Americans affected by some form of depression. Of the 17 million people, more than 9 million people have clinical or major depression and two thirds of the people suffering with depression do not seek treatment.

Depression is a very treatable and the calculated economic cost of depression is estimated at more than $30 billion a year. The cost of those who do not seek treatment is unknown, but it is probably more than $30 billion.

Depression facts include the number of women who suffer from depression is twice as many as men. The World Health Organization estimates that depression will be the number two cause of lost years of a healthy life. According to the Center for Disease Control suicide is ninth leading cause of death in the U.S.

For those that find depression facts interesting will like to know that 54% of people believe depression is a personal weakness and 41% of the women who suffer depression are too embarrassed to find help. Depression is responsible for more absenteeism than any other physical disorder. It costs employers approximately more than $50 billion per year in absenteeism. That cost does not include high pharmaceutical and medical bills.

Standard treatment for depression facts includes antidepressants work for 36 to 46% of the population suffering depression. There are a number of prescribed medications used in the treatment of depression, which includes Paxil, Prozac and Zoloft, but they have been linked to suicide, violent behavior, abnormal bleeding and brain tumors.

There are many studies that link depression and illness such as heart disease, diabetes, osteoporosis, back pain, eye disease and some forms of cancer. Addressing depression only will not solve the mystery of other diseases, but it can be part of a twofold approach to overall treatment.

Treatment for depression includes addressing the symptoms and the root cause. Not including the reasons for depression is like putting a band aid on a cut that requires stitches. After a while the band aid is going to fall off but the problem still exists. It is important to always consider a whole body and all inclusive approach to treating depression in order to shoot for recovery and avoid relapse.

Depression facts tell us a change in lifestyle is often necessary in the recovery of depression. Depression is sometimes what happens when trying to fill a need in life that just is not present. Relationships are often the culprit in depression and building good relationships is essential when treating depression. Determining the needs a relationship brings is one part of building good relationships to address those needs.

Replacing negative habits with positive habits accounts for a large part of depression treatment and recovery. It is a matter of creating new life patterns to stimulate the brain to learn new habits and better function. Often times it is necessary to boost self esteem to replace a negative habit with a positive one. Depression facts point to physical exercise such as a brisk walk or a run to release the negative effects of depression.