Increasing awareness and fighting against the stigma surrounding depression, healthcare company Health Central has released a new, visitor-friendly resource portal.
Health Central's Depression Hub differs from the standard online resource regarding this mental condition. Instead of simply listing down the usual cold facts about depression such as statistics, signs, symptoms, medication, the new hub offers an inclusive, almost conversational type of guide. It aims to include everyone - from people living with the condition, to people who know somebody, or even those who are interested to know more about this debilitating mental health problem.
Visitors to the Health Central Depression Hub can rest assured that all information found on the portal is backed by their medical pro panel, and boasts an extra layer of medical review for accuracy. Furthermore, all content is combed by an influencer advocating depression awareness.
MIAMI, FL - MARCH 23: A bottle of anti-depressant pills named Paxil are shown March 23, 2004 photographed in Miami, Florida.
Let's Talk About Depression, With Expert Advice
"How are you feeling today? If you've found yourself reading this, probably pretty crappy. Maybe you've been feeling listless and down for a lot longer than you expected, and it's making you worry that you might have depression," the homepage for the Depression Hub read. The new Health Central offers most of the textbook basics on the mental health issue, but delivered in a way closer to "read like a mentor for a depression community, not a textbook," according to the site's press release.
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Its "Pro Panel" enlists some of the top experts in the US. Dr. Charles B. Nemeroff is the Chief Medical Officer of the Anxiety and Depression Association of America as well as a Professor and Acting Chair at the Mulva Clinic for the Neurosciences under the Dell Medical School of the University of Texas.
Joining Dr. Nemeroff are Doctors Jennifer L. Payne and Carol A. Bernstein. Dr. Payne is the Director of the Women's Mood Disorders Center and is an Associate Professor of Psychiatry at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.
Completing the Pro Panel is Dr. Bernstein, Vice Chair for Faculty Development and Well-Being in the Departments Psychiatry and Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Montefiore Medical Center and the Albert Einstein College of Medicine.
Depression in the US - By The Numbers
According to an infographic in the Depression Hub, the debilitating mental condition affects an average of 17.7 million Americans every year. It has become the leading cause of disability in the United States, leaving up to 35% of adults unable to receive the treatment they need. People who suffer from depression might experience a variety of symptoms and go through drastically different experiences. However, studies show that one hallmark of depression is the seeming inability for feeling pleasure. People diagnosed with depression often lose interest, even in things they previously considered their passion, and even go as far as rob them of their capacity to function either at work or at home.
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Even in attempts of going cold turkey, or white-knuckling the difficulty is not a guaranteed way to solve depression without professional help. According to the online portal, the chance of recurrence for depression is more than half of the time, with the chances skyrocketing to 80 percent after going through two episodes.
