Depression and Oklahoma's poor health status: a connection?

There is clearly a connection between depression and cardiovascular disease, and suicide, obesity, and diabetes. Maternal depression has a considerable impact on both the mother and the child. A brief review of scientific findings in this regard leads to two conclusions. First, the high incidence of depression in Oklahoma contributes to its poor health status. Second, our physicians can make a difference by increased attention to the possibility of depression in their patients regardless of specialty.