Depression can affect people differently, but for many, depression causes general feelings of sadness, helplessness, hopelessness, and/or despair that last more than two weeks. Depression can also cause a loss of energy, sleep problems, and a feeling of being overwhelmed.

Too often, health care providers do not see the signs and do not ask patients about feelings of depression. It is important to tell your health care provider if you feel depressed. There are many treatments for depression, including counseling, support groups, and medication.

Patient Resources on Depression

Patient Resources on Depression (bolded) Educational materials for patient/family education discuss critical management concepts.

Recognizing and Treating Depression:
A Guide to Helping Nursing Home Residents with Depression

The following Patient handouts created especially for the Practicing Physician Education (PPE) project, may be photocopied as is, without specific permission.

	Depression An explanation of depression, and common signs
	How Do I Know If I'm Depressed? A brief description of what depression is, what causes it, and when to seek help
	Treatment of Depression Description of what treatment can do and the effectiveness of them
	Drug Treatment of Depression Description of antidepressants used to treat depression, their side effects and the length of time needed for treatment
	Mental Health Specialists and Depression Description of roles of psychiatrist, psychologist, social worker, psychiatric nurse specialist
	Taking Care of Yourself Information for patient to follow while treating self
	What If I Don't Feel Better An explanation of long term solutions to depression

Additional tools for clinicians can be found on the AGS website

The entire Practicing Physician Education Tool Kit on depression can be found at http://www.miahonline.org/tools/index.html. Here you will find additional information on depression in a primary care practice.