The news that Dallas Cowboys football player Terrell Owens had attempted to commit suicide because of depression alarmed sports fans worldwide, for whom he is one of the game's biggest stars. However, recent information on the uses of a drug with positive effects on depressed patients raises hopes that the problem may be successfully confronted in a not too distant future.
It is estimated that almost 15 million people in the United States are affected by depression in any given year. Worldwide, the World Health Organization estimates that over 120 million people meet the criteria for clinical depression.
Depression is a democratic disease, since it affects people from all social strata. Even presidents suffer from it, the most notable example in the past being Abraham Lincoln, who suffered from prolonged bouts of depression while he was president of the country. In spite of that, he is one of the most admired presidents in U.S. history.