If you’ve been feeling sad or down and can’t seem to shake it, talk with a doctor or nurse about depression.

What is depression? 

Depression is an illness that involves the brain. It can affect your thoughts, mood, and daily activities. Depression may make you feel sad or down or make it so you’re unable to enjoy things you normally would. It’s more than feeling sad for a few days. 

Depression can be mild, moderate, or severe. Even mild depression can become more serious if it’s not treated.

If you're diagnosed with depression, you aren’t alone. Depression is a common illness that affects millions of people in the United States every year.

The good news is that you can get treatment for depression. Getting help is the best thing you can do for yourself and your loved ones. You can feel better.

Check out these resources to learn more about depression:

• General information about depression
• Depression and older adults
• Depression and women
• Depression during and after pregnancy
• Depression and Veterans
• Depression and teens

What are the signs of depression?

It’s normal to feel sad sometimes, but if you feel sad, down, or like you’re not able to enjoy anything on most days for more than 2 weeks at a time, you may have depression.

Depression affects people differently. Some signs of depression are:

• Losing interest in activities you used to enjoy
• Feeling hopeless or empty
• Forgetting things or having trouble making decisions
• Sleeping too much or too little
• Gaining or losing weight without meaning to
• Having a major change in appetite (how hungry you feel)
• Thinking about suicide or death

Take this quiz to see if you might have depression.

How is depression treated?

Depression can be treated with talk therapy, medicines (called antidepressants), or both. Your doctor may refer you to a mental health professional for talk therapy or medicine.

If you start taking medicine and it’s not working well enough, your doctor may recommend a different type of antidepressant. Most antidepressant medicines come as pills. There are also newer medicines that can be given as an infusion (through an IV) or a nasal spray. These treatments may help people with depression who have not noticed an improvement in their symptoms from medicines that come as pills.

And if talk therapy and medicines aren’t helping you feel better, your doctor may suggest a type of treatment called brain stimulation therapy. These therapies use magnetic waves or electricity to stimulate the brain and treat depression.  

Your doctor may also recommend lifestyle changes, like being active and eating healthy. These habits can help you feel better and improve your overall health.

Learn more about treatments for depression.

Depression is a real illness. People with depression need treatment like people with any other illness. Having depression can lead to challenges in many parts of your life. People with depression are also more likely to experience certain other health problems and may live shorter lives than people who don’t have depression. That’s why it’s so important to see your doctor if you think you might have depression.

Talk to a doctor about how you're feeling.

Get a medical checkup. Ask to see a doctor or nurse who can screen you for depression.

The doctor or nurse may also check to see if you have another health condition (like thyroid disease) or are taking a medicine that can cause depression or make it worse. If you have one of these health conditions, it’s important to get treatment right away.

What about cost?

Under the Affordable Care Act, insurance plans must cover screening for depression. Depending on your insurance plan, you may be able to get screened at no cost to you. Check with your insurance company to find out more.

Medicare may also cover depression screening at no cost. If you have Medicare, learn about Medicare coverage for depression screening.

If you don’t have insurance, you may still be able to get free or low-cost depression screening. Find a health center near you and ask about screening for depression.

To learn more, check out these resources:

• Free preventive care for adults covered by the Affordable Care Act
• How the Affordable Care Act protects you
• Understanding your health insurance and how to use it [PDF - 1.9 MB]

Get treatment for depression.

When you have depression, getting help is the best thing you can do. 

Ask your doctor for a referral to a mental health professional or use this treatment locator to find mental health services near you. Some programs offer free or low-cost treatment even if you don't have insurance. 

Here are some places or professionals you can go to for help with depression:

• Doctor’s office or health clinic
• Family service or social service agency
• Psychologist, psychiatrist, or psychotherapist
• Counselor or social worker
• An employee assistance program — a workplace program that helps connect you with mental health or other resources — if your employer offers one 

Even if asking for help seems scary, it's an important step toward feeling better. 

Learn more about finding mental health services that work for you.

Get support.

If you have depression, it can also help to get support from people around you. You don't have to face depression alone. A trusted family member, friend, or faith leader can help support you as you seek medical treatment. 

Get ideas to build your support system.

Get active.

Getting active can lower your stress level and boost your mood, which can help treatments for depression work better. Keep in mind that getting active doesn’t have to mean going to the gym — try taking a few short walks each week instead. Learn more about getting active.

If someone you care about is depressed, get help.

If you think a friend or family member may have depression, check out these tips on how to talk to a loved one about depression. 

Keep in mind that many people with depression may have low energy or a hard time concentrating. This can make it difficult to do things like schedule appointments or remember to take medicines. Some things you can do to help include:

• Make calls or schedule appointments for your loved one
• Offer to accompany your loved one to their appointments
• Remind them to take their medicines

Get help right away if you or someone you know is thinking about suicide.

To get help for yourself or someone else, use the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. You can call or text 988 or chat with someone online.

And if someone’s in immediate danger, call 911.