Clinical Depression (Major Depressive Disorder) This Emotional Life on PBS

Visit Your Local PBS Station PBS Home PBS Home Programs A-Z TV Schedules Watch Video Donate Shop PBS Search PBS

Depression

See all content

Topics That May Interest You

People who are depressed can’t just “snap out of it.” Depression is an illness that at least 17 million Americans experience each year.

There are many factors that contribute to depression, including genes, family history, and brain chemistry. Researchers continue to explore its precise causes, and they are finding mounting evidence that certain changes in the brain may enter into the complex mix of what causes depression. What is conclusively known is that depression is not a moral or emotional failing. It is a treatable illness.

Blogs, Articles & Videos (Recent - Older)

See more:

Avoiding Antidepressants That Might Make You Feel Worse

  • By: David Mrazek M.D.

    • There is an important distinction between feeling sad and experiencing depression. Sadness is part of the human condition, but suffering from prolonged ...

Topics

Do You Have Depression? 5 Symptoms Provide the Answer

  • By: John Grohol Psy.D.

    • You’ve probably heard of depression if you’ve listened to a radio or watched a TV in the past 25 years. You can’t miss the commercials for medications that ...

Topics

Accessing faith through treating depression

  • By: Dr. Paula Bloom

    • “I don’t believe in medication, I have faith and just need to be more connected to God.” I hear this a lot. Faith and spirituality can be powerful sources ...

Topics

Mental Ophthalmology

  • By: Dr. Paula Bloom

    • WARNING: This post is one extended metaphor and may illicit a strong “yes I get it, move on” reaction. Proceed with caution.Last week I picked up my new ...

Topics

Telephone therapy benefits depression

  • By: John Grohol Psy.D.

    • Imagine a treatment that was so powerful and useful, it could even be delivered by the telephone. That treatment? Good old psychotherapy.

Topics

Am I depressed or just deep?

  • By: Dr. Paula Bloom

    • Yes. I admit it. I am a recovering angry youth. The symptoms of this disorder include wearing a disproportionate amount of black, having an inner adolescent ...

Topics

How to find affordable psychotherapy

  • By: John Grohol Psy.D.

    • Finding affordable psychotherapy can sometimes seem like an oxymoron. Experienced and highly trained mental health professionals, such as psychologists, ...

Topics

Not your grandfather's depression

  • By: John Grohol Psy.D.

    • My grandfather was a caricature of the stolid working-class, blue-collar, hard-scrabble miner whose parents came to this country with virtually nothing. ...

Topics

This Emotional Life is a co-production of the NOVA/WGBH Science Unit and Vulcan Productions, Inc. A Film by Kunhardt McGee Productions. ©/™ 2009 WGBH Educational Foundation and Vulcan Productions, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

This Web site was produced for PBS Online by elephants & ants.

Funding for This Emotional Life is provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and Public Television Viewers. Additional funding provided by the University of Phoenix and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

You May Also Be Interested In

Find Help

Locate mental health and well-being support organizations in your area.

Close

Register

Registering allows you to comment on blogs and suggest and review resources on the This Emotional Life website.*Required Fields

  1. Spaces are allowed; punctuation is not allowed except for periods, hyphens, and underscores.
  2. A valid e-mail address. All e-mails from the system will be sent to this address. The e-mail address is not made public and will only be used if you wish to receive a new password or wish to receive certain news or notifications by e-mail.
  3. Please re-type your e-mail address to confirm it is accurate.
  6. Enter your zipcode. The content of this field is kept private and will not be shown publicly.
Close

Login

  1. Forgot?
  2. Forgot?
Close

Forgot Username or Password?