Nearly 20 million Americans have a depressive disorder (depression, panic disorder, anxiety.)

Depression is more than temporarily feeling sad or blue; it is a serious medical illness. It involves disturbances in mood, concentration, sleep, activity, appetite and social behavior.

Who can get depressed? Anyone, at any age, can become depressed. Some forms of depression run in families. Depression also occurs in people who have no family history of the disease.

Twice as many women as men become depressed. One out of every seven women will suffer from depression in their lifetime. Some women have behavior and mood changes premenstrually. Some women become clinically depressed during pregnancy or after the birth of a baby.

Why do women become depressed? Psychosocial factors may include the stress of work and family responsibilities, sexual and physical abuse, sexual discrimination, lack of social supports, traumatic life experiences and poverty.

Women with low self-esteem, pessimistic views, and tendencies towards stress are more likely to become depressed.

A recent study found that three out of five women diagnosed with depressive illnesses had been victims of abuse. In one major study, 100 percent of women who had experienced severe childhood sexual abuse developed depression later in life.

Depression is treatable. Seek help. Depression often is a life-long condition with periods of wellness and depression, but it is highly treatable.

Psychotherapy and antidepressant medications are effective treatments. Ask your doctor.

This information is based on an article written by Susan J. Blumenthal, M.D., M.P.A., former U.S. Assistant Surgeon General, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.