Depression is one of the most common illnesses today, affecting one in five people at some time in their lives. It is potentially a severe a nd disabling mental illness influencing all aspects of a person's dail y life. Better skills, medications, and techniques have been developed in the past ten years to successfully treat it. This important new bo ok clears away the confusion and misunderstandings about depressive il lness and provides valuable information about the dramatic advances th at have been made in dealing with this disease. It explains how patien ts and those who care for them can take an active part in helping mana ge and treat depression.