Don’t struggle in silence! Discover the answers you’re looking for to help enjoy freedom from depression.

The vast majority of people who get proper treatment for depression actually do rebound. In a relatively short period of time, they’re taking pleasure in life again!

Harvard’s Understanding Depression Online Course is the reliable, go-to source for encouragement and practical advice to help you understand your illness and to discover the medications and therapy options to help you feel like yourself again.

Sign up now for the Understanding Depression Online Course — and let the mental health experts at Harvard Medical School dispel the darkness of depression.

Causes of Depression

  • How to tell when your symptoms require professional help
  • Illnesses or medications that may be at the root of up to 10% to 15% of all depression cases
  • How the forces of “nature” and “nurture” interact to cause mood problems
  • How imbalances in the brain can lead to depression and how they can be corrected
  • Can everyday stresses lead to depression?
  • How to short-circuit the impact of social media on depression, including the dangerous “comparison trap”

Diagnosis and Treatment Options

  • When symptoms of dementia are actually caused by depression How to navigate your treatment options — psychotherapy, medications, or both
  • The three phases of depression treatment and what to expect
  • How to choose the right mental health professional
  • How to recognize teen depression — 8 common indicators
  • How to address suicidal thoughts in teenagers
  • Postpartum depression: how it happens...its dangers...and how to relieve it
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Finding the Right Medications

  • How doctors decide on the right medication for depression treatment
  • The differences between 6 different antidepressant medications
  • The pros and cons of SSRIs — and how to handle “Prozac poop-out”
  • Medications for bipolar disorder — lithium and its alternatives
  • How to manage medication side effects, including sexual problems
  • Genetic testing to determine the best depression medication
  • UPDATE: Can antidepressants trigger suicide?
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Therapy Options

  • 10 questions to ask yourself when choosing a therapist
  • CBT: The therapy that is about as effective in treating depression as medication
  • How interpersonal and psychodynamic therapy helps treat depression
  • How to get past circular, self-critical thinking
  • The healing power of creative arts therapy
  • The therapy that helps depressed people do what they tend to avoid
  • Electroconvulsive therapy: A potentially life-saving procedure for people who are severely depressed

Sign up now for the Understanding Depression Online Course — and let the mental health experts at Harvard Medical School dispel the darkness of depression.

Self-care and Alternative Treatments

  • How mindfulness meditation helps you rise above low moods, anxiety and sadness
  • The mood/food connection to depression: Foods that can be a downer
  • “Nutritional psychiatry” — Gut-healthy foods that help improve your mood
  • Can exercise substitute for antidepressants?
  • The effectiveness of dietary supplements for depression
  • How expressive writing can help you cope with the emotional fallout of stress and trauma

Strategies for Success

  • 8 core strategies to keep bipolar symptoms at bay
  • 4 ways to overcome the stigma of depression
  • Top tips for starting and sticking with a depression treatment plan
  • How support groups can help — and how to find one near you
  • How to make the healthcare system work for you
  • How to cope when a loved one is depressed
  • Emergency help section: Suicide risk factors and how to get instant help
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This easy-to-follow course is overflowing with lively photo features, interactive pages, videos, charts and more. Together, these online features make it easy to better understand depression and to proactively do something about it.