Consumer Reports Medical Guide Establishes ’Hub’ for Dealing with Depression at www.consumerreports.org/mg/depression; Resource Page Addresses Identifying and Overcoming Depression, Rates Pharamceutical and Non-Drug Depression Treatment Options

NEW YORK, July 18 -- While Tom Cruise denounces the value of antidepressants -- and the FDA issues a public health advisory related to episodes of adult suicide by some taking antidepressants -- evidence suggests that millions of people suffering from depression can, with proper diagnosis and treatment, control their symptoms and have their quality of life restored. In the United States today, approximately 15 percent of adult patients are dealing with depression; 20 million Americans report anxiety disorders and 17 million deal with depression.

Today, Consumer Reports Medical Guide ( http://www.ConsumerReportsMedicalGuide.org ) introduces its first “mini-hub” within the online medical resource, this one focusing on depression. The Consumer Reports Medical Guide special page on depression ( http://www.consumerreports.org/mg/depression ) features in- depth information about different types of therapies, effectiveness of antidepressants and a brief self-check quiz of possible depression symptoms. Consumer Reports Medical Guide also provides ratings of various treatment options -- pharmaceutical and other -- so patients can determine, with their doctors, the best course of action.

Consumer Reports Medical Guide believes that providing consumers with up-to-date, unbiased information about depression, anxiety and other mental health issues, including treatment options based on the best available evidence, is crucial. According to Beth Nash, M.D., medical advisor to Consumer Reports Medical Guide, “Too many people still fear the stigma of admitting to symptoms of depression and, therefore, don’t seek diagnosis and treatment. At least online, consumers can read basic information easily and privately and then, hopefully, seek a physician’s advice.”

The collection of reports includes Phone Therapy Eases Depression, Antidepressants: Do They Work?, Depression: Not For Women Only and Drugs vs. Talk Therapy, the latter article citing the results of an extensive Consumer Reports readers’ survey rating mental healthcare options for depression and anxiety. The survey results, plus interviews with patients and experts, offer a compelling snapshot of how people fared given the mental healthcare choices they made. Some key findings indicate that “with or without drugs, most people who sought care for depression or anxiety gained relief” and that “a combination of talk therapy and drugs often worked best.”

Consumer Reports Medical Guide, a subscription-based online tool with rich content for non-subscribers as well, provides information on approximately sixty common and chronic conditions, with sections explaining how each condition is diagnosed, what symptoms manifest, what to expect, what treatments are available, and specific questions to ask personal physicians. Along with CRBestBuyDrugs.org, Consumer Reports Medical Guide offers consumers independent, trustworthy information on best treatments and prescription drugs without advertising influence. Consumers Union has a long history of providing independent information on a variety of health and medical issues through Consumer Reports magazine and the Consumer Reports On Health newsletter.

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