Medical disclaimer.

The short version.

DepressionResource is an independent editorial publication about depression. It's the practical layer of the Shrink Network's coverage of depression. It's an educational resource. It isn't a clinic, isn't a therapy app, isn't a substitute for an evaluation with a licensed clinician, and doesn't establish any kind of clinician patient relationship with anyone who reads it.

If you have questions about your own diagnosis, your own symptoms, your own treatment, your own medication, or whether to start, stop, or change anything about your care, those questions belong with a licensed clinician who knows your specific situation. We can help you understand and ask better questions. We can't replace the answer. If you're in crisis, the answer isn't on this page; call or text 988.

What DepressionResource is.

A practical reference site for depression. The Types section is our strongest work and covers the patterns depression actually takes: high functioning depression, depression with anxiety, depression and grief, postpartum, seasonal, treatment resistant, bipolar depression. The Symptoms section covers the experiences inside depression (anhedonia, brain fog, fatigue, hopelessness, guilt, low motivation, suicidal thoughts). The Treatment section covers what works. The Depression Maps lay out the cluster of experiences inside each depression pattern.

Every clinical entry is medically reviewed by Shariq Refai, MD, MBA, a board certified psychiatrist, before publication. The reviewer's name, credentials, and review date are on every entry. The full editorial process is at Editorial Standards. The evidence framework is at Evidence Methodology. Corrections are at Corrections.

The site is part of the Shrink Network. Shrinkopedia is the clinical encyclopedia. AnxietyResource covers the practical anxiety layer. PsychiatryRx covers medications. shrinkMD is the telepsychiatry option. We cover the practical depression layer.

What DepressionResource isn't.

Not a clinic. Reading an entry on DepressionResource doesn't get you a diagnosis, a treatment plan, a prescription, a therapy referral that's tailored to your situation, or any other clinical service. We can't see you, can't review your full history, can't take into account medical conditions or medications you're already on, and can't follow up to see how things go.

Not a therapy app. We don't deliver care. We don't conduct evaluations. We don't issue clinical recommendations for any specific person. If a clinical decision needs to be made for you, that decision involves a licensed clinician who knows you.

Not a doctor patient relationship. Reading this site doesn't create a relationship between you and Shariq Refai, the editorial team, shrinkMD Publishing, or any provider mentioned in any entry. We can't respond to personal clinical questions by email, message, or comment.

Not a substitute for emergency care. If you're having a mental health emergency, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency department. If you're thinking about suicide or self harm, call or text 988. The full crisis routing is on the Suicide and Crisis Resources page. Most people with depression who have suicidal thoughts during an episode don't act on them, but the silence around the thoughts is what creates risk. Naming the thoughts to someone (a clinician, a crisis line, a trusted person) is the highest leverage move available.

Why this matters for depression.

Depression isn't one condition. It's a category that contains major depressive disorder, persistent depressive disorder, postpartum depression, seasonal affective disorder, premenstrual dysphoric disorder, the depressive episodes that show up inside bipolar disorder and schizoaffective disorder, depression that's related to a medical condition, depression that's substance induced, and several other variants. Getting the type right matters because treatment differs. Bipolar depression looks identical to unipolar major depression from the outside, but the treatment is fundamentally different. SSRIs alone can trigger a manic episode in someone with undiagnosed bipolar disorder. Postpartum depression has its own first line treatments (sertraline in breastfeeding, brexanolone, zuranolone). Seasonal depression responds to bright light therapy in ways year round depression doesn't. Treatment resistant depression requires next line options (augmentation, TMS, ketamine, ECT) that aren't part of standard primary care.

Treatment response also varies substantially. About one in three people with depression won't reach remission on their first antidepressant. About one in three of those won't reach remission on the second. The pattern is well studied. Most people eventually respond when treatment is sequenced thoughtfully, but the right sequence depends on the individual, the type of depression, the comorbidities, the past treatment history, and a hundred other things only a licensed clinician can see.

What that adds up to: reading a description of depression isn't the same as being assessed for it. The clinician you work with can ask the follow up questions an entry can't, including the questions that distinguish bipolar depression from unipolar, that identify a medical contributor, that screen for substance use, and that match treatment to the specific picture. The site is for understanding. The diagnosis and the treatment plan are between you and your clinician.

Changes to depression treatment without supervision can cause harm. Stopping an antidepressant suddenly can produce discontinuation effects, rebound symptoms, and in some cases worsening suicidal thoughts. Self diagnosing as unipolar depression when the picture is actually bipolar can mean treatment that makes the underlying condition worse. If you read something here and it raises a question about your own situation, the answer is to bring the question to a licensed clinician.

What we hope this site does for you.

Helps you recognize what depression actually looks like. Helps you find the pattern that fits closest in the Types section. Helps you see the cluster of experiences in the Depression Map. Helps you walk into a clinical visit with better questions than you walked in with last time. Helps you find out which evidence based treatments exist for your situation. Helps you understand why your prescriber might be sequencing things the way they are.

Helps you talk to a family member, a partner, or a friend about what they're going through with depression. Helps you name what's happening so it can be treated. The site is for understanding. Treatment is between you and your clinician.

Limitation of liability.

DepressionResource is published by shrinkMD Publishing. The content is provided as a general educational reference. While we work to keep it accurate, current, and clearly written, we don't warrant that any specific entry is complete, error free, or current for every individual situation. Mental health science evolves. We update entries on a rolling schedule and log substantive corrections at Corrections, but we can't guarantee that any given entry reflects the latest published research at the moment you read it.

By using this site, you acknowledge that DepressionResource, shrinkMD Publishing, Shariq Refai, the editorial team, and any contributors aren't responsible for outcomes that result from acting on information without consulting a licensed clinician. We don't accept responsibility for diagnostic or treatment decisions made based on this site without the involvement of a qualified clinician who knows your situation.

Nothing on this site is an offer of care, a clinical recommendation for any specific person, or an endorsement of any specific provider for any specific situation. The full disclosure of financial relationships, if any exist, is at Disclosures.

Updates to this disclaimer.

We update this page when editorial standards, the legal landscape, or the structure of the site changes. The most recent update date is at the top of this page. Substantive updates are logged at Corrections.

Contact.

For editorial questions or factual corrections, email support@depressionresource.org with the entry URL and the specific concern. We process substantive corrections within seven days and log them at Corrections.

We can't respond to personal clinical questions by email. If you need a clinical evaluation, the "I feel…" Start Here page routes you to options including shrinkMD plus broader telepsychiatry and in person care.