No matter how wealthy you are, how famous you are, how much education, or how loving the family in which you live, depression can strike anyone. It is one of the most destructive, persistent, and demoralizing mental illnesses that anyone can experience. and the treatments for it, currently, are many. Unfortunately, mental illness and the treatment with both medication and psychotherapy aren't always as we would wish in achieving a favorable outcome.

Recently, we learned the sad news that the incredibly talented, beautiful entertainer, Naomi Judd, who suffered from what is known as treatment-resistant depression, had taken her life. We can only imagine the torment that depression caused her and which led her to her sad decision that this was the only way to end her pain. But, Judd isn't alone, because depression, whether of the treatment-resistant type or not, is widespread 

Depression, among the many mental illnesses, can be difficult to treat because there is no way to definitively know which medication will work or what the most effective treatment plan would be. As in most mental disorders, there is no biological test to tell us the most effective medication, and attempting to find one becomes a series of trial-and-error attempts. The process can be disheartening.

In her book and TV interviews, Judd discussed her struggles and her attempts at successful medical intervention with her depression. She was hospitalized multiple times, took every medication (her own words) that was available, and may even have had ECT (electroconvulsive shock therapy)—all to no avail. The last TV interview she gave, which was not too long before she and her daughter, Wyonna, were to be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame, she commented on how the medications had changed her appearance. Within a month or so, she and her daughter were to begin a national tour.

The entertainment field is one where appearance is so important that it keeps the plastic surgery field busy with clients who must come for full facelifts or touch-ups. Her face was extremely round and she attributed that to the medication. As she said in the interview, her appearance wasn't because she was enjoying desserts and eating lots of ice cream.

Treatment-resistant depression (TRD) is too common to be easily dismissed and about $48 billion is spent yearly on its remediation. This incredible sum may have brought relief to some, but for others, it proved, in their minds, hopeless. Hopelessness, in fact, is a common symptom of major depression as is a loss of motivation, loss of interest in anything, and lack of energy or joy. It robs a person of their ability to think rationally and to see a hopeful future with help from mental health professionals. The total lack of hope can lead to suicide.

The World Health Organization has indicated that depression is a common worldwide mental disorder from which approximately 280 million people suffer. When the suffering becomes too much for them to bear, over 700,000 people a year commit suicide. In fact, it is the fourth leading cause of death in the 15-to-29-year old range.

No one is exempt from depression and anyone who has experienced severe depression which inhibits them from leading happy, fulfilling lives with social relationships and careers, is advised to seek mental health services. If the depression is serious enough that the individual is considering suicide, there is the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline which anyone can call and which will offer help to them.