January 2009 — The National Family Caregivers Association offers specific information for family caregivers living with depression including how to recognize depression, how to cope and resources for those dealing with depression.

It is a fact that family caregivers are more likely than non-caregivers to experience symptoms of depression or anxiety. According to a study published in the American Journal of Public Health, family caregivers caring for their spouse experience depression at a rate that is six times higher than non-caregivers and the rate is twice as high for those caring for a parent.*

When a family caregiver suffers from depression it is important to remember that there are at least two people at risk - the family caregiver and the family member or friend for whom she or he cares.

Visit NFCA's Caregiver and Depression pages and you will find information about the symptoms of depression, how depression can be treated and how to screen yourself for signs of depression. You will read caregivers' descriptions here of how they view their experience of depression, caregiver-to-caregiver advice, and information that takes into account the reality of what it means to be a family caregiver.

* Cannuscio, C.C., C. Jones, I. Kawachi, G.A. Colditz, L. Berkman and E. Rimm, Reverberation of family illness: A longitudinal assessment of informal caregiver and mental health status in the nurses' health study. American Journal of Public Health 92:305-1311, 2002.