Emory Mental Health Experts Featured in Documentary on Depression

In observation of May as Mental Health Month, Emory University Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences faculty and other leading mental health experts from across the nation are featured in a documentary that takes an in-depth look at depressive disorders.

The documentary called Depression: Out of the Shadows aired at on May 21, on Georgia Public Broadcasting.

In this program, real people of different ages and diverse backgrounds tell stories of living with various forms of clinical depression. Distinguished experts in the field explore the causes and treatments of this widely misunderstood illness.

For reasons that range from lack of education to the stigma of depression, a large percentage of people who need help are not getting it. According to statistics from the Georgia Division of Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities and Addictive Diseases, depression is the leading cause of nearly 900 suicides each year.

Emory experts include Charles Nemeroff, MD, Ruenette W. Harris Chair of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, who explains how depression is rooted in both genetic and environmental factors, and psychiatry professors Helen Mayberg, MD, and William McDonald, MD, who discuss treatments for patients who are resistant to medication.

For a preview of the documentary visit: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/takeonestep/depression/