ABSTRACT

Major depressive disorder is one of the most common mental disorders in the United States and the world. The cardinal criteria involve a period of time in which there is signicantly depressed mood or loss of interest or pleasure in addition to problematic changes in functioning in at least four other areas including appetite, sleep, energy, concentration, self-esteem, and suicidal thoughts. In the United States 6.9% of adults (or 16 million people) have experienced at least one episode in the previous 12 months.1 The World Health Organization estimates 350 million people are affected worldwide, and that in a survey of 17 countries, one in 20 people reported having a depressive episode that past year.2