Overbrook hosts a Depression Support Group.  The group meets on the first and third Mondays 7:00-8:30 pm, sponsored by Mental Health America of Franklin County.  Adults only, please.  Join us to receive support, and to provide support to others.

Men:

• In the United States, depression affects nearly 7% of men (6 million men).
• It remains unclear whether depression is actually less common among men, or if men are just less likely to recognize and acknowledge the symptoms than women.
• Four times as many men as women die by suicide in the U.S.
• Men often deal with depression by withdrawing from others and throwing themselves into their work, engaging in risky or dangerous behavior, and/or becoming angry, frustrated and abusive.

Women:

• Women 18 to 45 years of age account for the largest proportion of people suffering from depression.
• Twenty to 40 percent of menstruating women experience premenstrual mood and behavioral changes.
• Approximately 2 to 10 percent of women experience Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder, a severe form of premenstrual syndrome that is characterized by severely impairing behavior and mood changes.
• In one major study, 100 percent of women who had experienced severe childhood sexual abuse developed depression later in life.
• Although bipolar disorder is equally common in women and men, research indicates that approximately three times as many women as men experience rapid cycling.
• Other research findings indicate that women with bipolar disorder may have more depressive episodes and more mixed episodes than do men with the illness.

For more information on depression and other mental health issues visit the Mental Health America of Franklin County web site at www.mhafc.org.