This list of questions is a good starting point for discussion with your doctor. However, it is not a comprehensive list.

• What exactly is depression?  Is there a widely accepted definition?
• What are the differences between bipolar and unipolar depression?  Are there other types of depression?
• Is there a difference between depression and a "mood disorder"?
• How do I know if I suffer from depression or am simply going through a "rough patch"?
• What causes depression?
• What are the most common symptoms?
• Does depression affect appetite or diet?  Sleep patterns?  Energy level?  How I view and relate to other people?
• What are the most common treatments?
• What is cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) or cognitive psychotherapy (CT)?
• What about the concerns I've heard about anti-depressant medicines?
• What about the concerns I've heard about electroconvulsive therapy (ECT)?
• Are there reasons a doctor might disagree with prescribing a certain treatment, say, specific anti-depressants or ECT?

If you believe you suffer from depression

• Can I be depressed and still work and function more or less normally?
• Is there a relationship between emotional suffering and depression?
• What sort of "environmental" or circumstantial changes affect mental health?
• What's the connection, if any, between depression and physical pain?
• What's the role, if any, of genetics or biological factors in depression?
• What goes into a doctor's development of a diagnosis?
• Why do some people become depressed while others don't?
• My child seems to be always depressed.  What can I as a parent do? 

If you have been diagnosed with depression

• How did you reach your diagnosis?  What specifically leads you to believe that I suffer from depression?
• Is there anything I should stop or start doing to help my situation?
• Which treatments do you prefer, and why?
• Do medications lose their effectiveness the longer a patient takes them?
• Being diagnosed as depressed is making me depressed.  How do I deal with the stigma of my diagnosis?
• What's wrong with me that I should suffer from depression?  Why can't I "cope"?
• How can I be sure you're providing me with the appropriate care and treatment?
• I've heard of the patient forming a "therapeutic alliance" with the doctor?  What is that?

Questions above were adapted from information available on the following web sites:

National Institute of Mental Health:  http://www.nimh.nih.gov

American Psychiatric Association:  http://www.psych.org

Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance:  http://www.dbsalliance.org