Major depressive disorder (MDD) is one of the most common mental illnesses in America, affecting more than 21 million adults.1
People who haven't experienced it may think depression is a mood or a choice, but anyone who has lived with it knows it's so much more than that. There are good days, bad days, and some days so difficult that it takes all your strength to fight for the next good one.
Depression can happen to anyone, at any age, and to people of any race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status or religious background.2
So many people with depression don't treat it because they don't think it's serious.2 Depression isn't something you can “snap out of” and it isn't a personal weakness. It's a serious medical condition that deserves attention and support, just like any physical ailment.
LGBTQ+ adults are three times as likely to have mental health conditions compared to heterosexual adults.3 But many don't have a name for hard-to-treat depression or are unsure of where to turn for help.
Dealing with discrimination or rejection from loved ones and society, or not feeling confident in or trusting of the healthcare system, can all impact your mental health.
Among adults living with mental illness, 13% of LGBQ adults experience more serious symptoms that greatly interfere with major life activities compared to only 4% of cisgender heterosexual adults.4
Nearly 60% of LGBTQ adults are experiencing poor mental health today.5
Bisexual and transgender people have the highest rates of mental health concerns within the LGBTQ+ community.6
LGBTQ+ adults use mental health services at 2.5 times higher rates than cisgender heterosexual adults.6
An analysis from 18 US states showed that the largest rate of suicide is among middle-aged LGBTQ people with mental illness.7
Additionally, 40% of all transgender adults report that they have attempted suicide in their lifetime compared to less than 5% of the total US population.8
Major depressive disorder (MDD), also known as clinical depression, is a common and serious medical illness that changes how you feel, think, and act. Fortunately, there are treatment options available to help manage your depression.
Depression is more than just feeling sad. It can make you lose interest in activities you once enjoyed and cause emotional and physical problems, causing you to lose your ability to function at work and home.9
Depression is the leading cause of disability worldwide.10 While most people with depression can fully recover with the right treatment, only about 1/3 of people with severe depression seek treatment from a healthcare professional.2
For some people, symptoms of depression persist even after treatment. When an individual doesn't respond to two or more antidepressants (of adequate dose and duration), this is sometimes referred to as treatment-resistant depression or TRD.
Nearly 1/3 of people who have MDD are treatment resistant.11 Some people also have a more severe form of MDD where a person experiences a sudden worsening of depressive symptoms, which can cause them to consider or act on thoughts of self-harm or suicide.
While studies show that 60% of people who die by suicide have major depression,12 it is important to note that not all people living with MDD have suicidal thoughts or actions.
If you feel like you may be experiencing symptoms of depression, complete this questionnaire from Mental Health America that may help give you a snapshot of your mental health.
If you feel like you may be experiencing symptoms of depression, a questionnaire from Mental Health America may help give you a snapshot of your mental health. This mental health questionnaire is not intended to replace a doctor or other healthcare provider who is best qualified to diagnose and treat mental health conditions. Please discuss your results and any questions you may have with your doctor or healthcare provider.
Please note that this third-party website is not controlled by Janssen or subject to our privacy policy.
The content on this site is intended for educational purposes only and should not take the place of talking with your doctor or healthcare professional. It should not be used for diagnosing or treating a health problem or disease. If you have any questions about your medical condition, talk to your healthcare professional.
This site was created with help from and for the LGBTQ+ community and is brought to you by Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc., in partnership with:
1Major Depression. Accessed February 10, 2022. https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/major-depression
2Depression. Accessed January 4, 2022. https://www.mhanational.org/conditions/depression
3LGBTQ+. Accessed January 11, 2022. https://adaa.org/find-help/by-demographics/lgbtq
4Human Rights Campaign Foundation. Mental Health and the LGBTQ Community. Accessed January 13, 2022. https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/LGBTQ_MentalHealth_OnePager.pdf
5Human Rights Campaign Foundation. The State of Mental Health in the LGBTQ Community. Accessed January 4, 2022. https://hrc-prod-requests.s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/files/documents/LGBTQ-MentalHealth-brief-022221.pdf
6LGBTQ+ Communities and Mental Health. Accessed January 10, 2022. https://www.mhanational.org/issues/lgbtq-communities-and-mental-health
7Lyons BH, Walters ML, Jack SPD, Petrosky E, Blair JM, Ivey-Stephenson AZ. Suicides among lesbian and gay male individuals: findings from the National Violent Death Reporting System. Am J Prev Med. 2019 Apr;56(4):512-521. doi: 10.1016/j.amepre.2018.11.012. Accessed January 6, 2022. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6886000/
8National Center for Transgender Equality. The Report of the 2015 U.S. Transgender Survey Executive Summary. Accessed January 10, 2022. https://transequality.org/sites/default/files/docs/usts/USTS-Executive-Summary-Dec17.pdf
9What Is Depression? Accessed January 13, 2022. https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/depression/what-is-depression
10Depression. Accessed January 13, 2022. https://www.who.int/en/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/depression
11Zhdanava M, Pilon D, Ghelerter I, et al. The prevalence and national burden of treatment-resistant depression and major depressive disorder in the United States. J Clin Psychiatry. 2021;82(2):20m13699. Accessed January 6, 2022. https://www.psychiatrist.com/jcp/depression/prevalence-national-burden-treatment-resistant-depression-major-depressive-disorder-in-us/
12Ng CW, How CH, Ng YP. Depression in primary care: assessing suicide risk. Singapore Med J. 2017;58(2):72-77. doi:10.11622/smedj.2017006. Accessed January 6, 2022. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5311887/
If you or someone you know is struggling emotionally or has concerns about their mental health, there are ways to get help. Call the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 or visit https://988lifeline.org.
Some featured images have been purchased for use on this website. The use of these images does not imply that the individuals featured are living with depression, unless otherwise noted.
© Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc. 2023.
This site is published by Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc., which is solely responsible for its contents. The material on this site is intended only as informational or as an educational aid and is not intended to be taken as medical advice. The ultimate responsibility for patient care resides with a healthcare professional. This information is intended for the use of patients and caregivers in the United States. Laws, regulatory requirements, and medical practices for pharmaceutical products vary from country to country. The information included here may not be appropriate for use outside the United States. Some documents on this site are stored in Adobe PDF format and require the free Adobe® Reader to view.
Last updated: September 2023 cp-293059v5