This week on PNM we’re putting the spotlight on depression. A study published in 2014 by the Center for Disease Control concluded that from 2009-2012 7.6% of Americans age 12 or older suffered from some form of moderate to severe depression.

Now that’s a lot of people; millions in fact.

Your next-door neighbor, your co-worker, your significant other – odds are we’ve all known someone who’s suffered from it, and if you’re experiencing it for yourself you know that words like “despair,” “hopelessness,” and “agony” barely scratch the surface of what you’re feeling.

In this week’s episode of PNM our first guest will be Professor Cynthia Fu from the University of East London. We’ll speak with her about a study she and others recently published where they examine the diagnostic potential for depression via structural neuroimaging in a multi-ethnic community sample.

After that, we’ll speak with Jessica Barrett from Plymouth University. She, along with others, published a report that investigates the risk factor between those who leave paper suicide notes versus those who choose to use text message, email, or some other form of “new media.”

Overall, depression can be a tough topic to talk about, but it can’t afford to be ignored either. Join us as we investigate some of the latest research on this week’s episode of the Perpetual Notion Machine.