The question of whether women are more likely to be clinically depressed than are their male counterparts first requires a clinical definition of what it means to be depressed. Depression, from a clinician's viewpoint, is much more than having a bad day. It is a sustained period of a disturbance in mood, marked by profound changes in sleep, eating, and feelings of low self-worth. ("Depression in Women: Information from your family doctor, 2002, The American Family Physician) But although one should not dismiss depression as merely "the blues," one should also not negate its commonness. Depression remains one of the most frequently diagnosed mental illnesses in America today. "Depression is so prevalent that it has been referred to as the 'common cold' of mental illness." (Furman & Bender, 2003) This poses an interesting question-why do women seem more likely to catch this common psychological cold than their male counterparts, and is this truly the case, or merely a case of misrepresentation by statisics?
             Pro: The argument for a greater prevalance of depression in women than in men.
             In the general United States population, 8-12 percent of men and 20-24 percent of women are deemed to meet the diagnostic criteria for major depression by a professional clinician. (Furman & Bender, 2003) Thus, the statisical evidence for the idea that more women are depressed than men is simply not based on anecdotal, sexist evidence that women seem to complain that they are depressed more often than men, although often, the greater prevalence of depression is simply taken as a given, even by therapists: "It is widely acknowledged that depression is more prevalent in women." (Stapley, 2005) In 2002 The American Family Physician, a peer-reviewed medical journal, asserted "women are twice as likely as men to have depression. About 20 percent of women experience depression at least once during...