We all feel blue from time to time, but major depressive disorder (MDD) is a condition that lasts for a long period of time. It’s a disease that people can’t just “get over” or “snap out of.” While antidepressant medications have been helpful for many people with MDD, they come with side effects of their own,
Depression is not just “feeling blue,” but rather a significant mental health condition that can affect one’s whole life. The CDC estimates that one in 10 American adults is depressed. Depression goes hand-in-hand with poor outcomes in chronic health conditions like cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and obesity, in addition to the more obvious negatives social and behavioral effects.