Contributing Factors

Depression sits right at the intersection of so many components of our health system, so it's in many ways emblematic of how we as a society handle "health," and all of the different factors and people and industry sectors that are involved. One in five adults experiences mental illness in a given year. In a given year, 1 in 25 adults in the U.S. experiences a serious mental illness that substantially interferes with major life activities. In the first episode of Contributing Factors, Season One, host Caroline Leland covers three main ideas: she defines depression, asks what depression feels like, and talks about why depression and mental health matters. We learn about the DSM and the nine criteria for diagnosing depression, the physical, economic and social toll that depression and mental illness take, the importance of awareness and "coming out of the shadows," and more. We are also introduced to Lucero Sifuentes, the twenty-four-year-old woman battling major depressive disorder, and who we'll hear from thr