Confronting America’s Fixable Depression Crisis
Depression is highly treatable. So why are rates soaring, particularly among young people? We need to acknowledge the scope of the problem, shake the stigma, and embrace solutions known to work, experts say.
This article is part of a Wise & Well Special Report: The United States of Depression.
After suffering a stroke last year, US Senator John Fetterman, a man who’d long seemed sad to those around him, plunged into deep depression. In the pit of his despair, he lost the motivation that had driven him to the pinnacle of politics. He lost weight, stopped showering, and didn’t expect to recover. But with professional help, a mixed bag of remedies and a lot of support from family, friends and even strangers — not to mention an excellent healthcare plan afforded people in Congress — Fetterman pulled back from his self-described brink of existence and got better.
The 53-year-old freshman senator from Pennsylvania joins a growing list of high-profile Americans who’ve been crushed at times by the darkness (tennis phenom Naomi Osaka, gritty Tour de France biker Mark Cavendish, actress Mena Suvari, singer Megan Thee Stallion) and are helping to lift the stigma of depression by speaking…