Research Aims to Shape More Precise Treatments for Depression in Women
(UCSF article shines light on the important work being done by Dr. Sandra Weiss and her many collaborators across the NNDC network.)
July 2017 | Science of Caring (UCSF)
Sandra J. Weiss, PhD, RN, FAAN Interim Dean and Professor Community Health Systems
Among women in the United States, depression is at epidemic levels: Approximately 12 million women in the U.S. experience clinical depression each year, and more than 12 percent of women can expect to experience depression in their lifetime. Moreover, many experts believe the numbers are likely higher, given the degree of under-reporting about the condition, the fact that depression in women is often misdiagnosed and the fact that fewer than half of women who experience clinical depression will ever seek care.
The public health implications are undeniable. Beyond the condition’s isolated impact, depression can have lasting physical and mental health effects that ripple through an individual’s lifetime, with research also indicating that a mother’s depression can affect the mental and physical development of her child.
In response to these concerns, Interim Dean Sandra Weiss of the UC San Francisco School of Nursing is leading three major studies aimed at shedding important light on some of the most pressing issues facing American women with depression and the clinicians who treat them.