Instead of "treating only the depressed adult, healthcare and mental-health professionals should evaluate the fallout of the depression on the entire family, particularly children, and design treatment programs with everyone in mind." Psychiatrist and committee chair Mary Jane England, MD, of Regis College, stated, "To break the vicious circle of depression, we need to refocus our view of this illness through a broader lens that sees the whole family, not just the individual with depression."

WebMD (6/10, Hitti) pointed out that the report "estimates that in any given year, 7.5 million US parents are depressed, and at least 15 million US children live with a parent who has major or severe depression." Dr. England, who is also a past president of the American Psychiatric Association, said these estimates were conservative.

WebMD explained that "parental depression has been linked to children's early signs of, or vulnerability to, having a more 'difficult' temperament, including more negativity, less happiness, poorer social skills, more vulnerability to depression, more self blame, less self-worth, and a less effective response system to stress."

And, while "most of the research done on parental depression has focused on mothers, especially during pregnancy or when their babies are very young...parents can become depressed at any age, and depression in dads is also important." For instance, "depression saps energy, which can make it harder for patients to seek help."