Learn
Plain-language guides to the kinds of help for depression and how to get them. Each one lists its sources.
Understanding care
The steps of care for depression
Care for depression comes in steps, from self-help to specialist treatment. Here's what each step involves, and how to tell when it may be time to move up one.
Depression during pregnancy and after birth
Depression during pregnancy or after having a baby is common and treatable. How it differs from the baby blues, what treatment looks like, and where to get support.
Treatments
Talk therapy for depression
Several kinds of therapy work well for depression. What they are, what a first session is like, what the letters after a therapist's name mean, and how to tell if it's working.
Antidepressants: the basics
Who prescribes antidepressants, the common types, how long they take to work, and what to tell your prescriber. Plain facts, no dosing advice.
When treatment hasn't worked
If you've tried two or more medicines without feeling better enough, there are still options that help many people: medicine changes, therapy, TMS, esketamine, ECT and clinical trials.
Treatment protocols compared
Five well-studied treatments on one timeline: what happens each week, how long they take, and what the trials found.
Getting care
Paying for depression care in Pennsylvania
How to check what your insurance covers, how Medicaid works for mental health in Pennsylvania, and where to find free or low-cost care if you don't have insurance.
How to reach out to a therapist or clinic
Reaching out is often the hardest step. What to say, a voicemail script, the questions to ask, and what to do if you don't hear back.