We already know that depression can happen to anyone, regardless of race, age, gender, and other factors. But there are some statistics that can provide an idea of how common certain depressive disorders are and who is most commonly affected. According to the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance's depression fact sheet:

• Major depressive disorder affects approximately 14.8 million American adults in any given year.

• Major depressive disorder may develop at any age, but the median age for onset is 32.

• Women are twice as likely to experience depression as men.

• As many as one in 33 children and one in eight adolescents have clinical depression.

• People with depression are four times as likely to develop a heart attack than those without a history of the illness. After a heart attack, those with depression are at a significantly increased risk of death or second heart attack.

• Six million older Americans suffer from depression, but only 10 percent of them will receive treatment.

• Fifty-eight percent of caregivers for an elderly relative experience symptoms of depression.

Now that you have these basic figures in mind, read on through the rest of the chapter to learn how depression affects specific populations.