3. b. Women are twice as likely as men to have clinical depression.

Though theories abound about why women become depressed more readily than men, nothing definitive has been proved, said clinical specialist Rebecca Sherwood, DNSc, RN, immediate past president of the California chapter of the American Psychiatric Nurses Association. Sherwood said, "women should understand that depression is a medical illness, not a personal weakness or failure, and that treatment is readily available and highly successful in most cases."