A campaign several years ago to educate physicians
about the detection and treatment of hypertension proved
so successful that last year a special Lasker Award was
given to its promoters. Hypertension and depression have
many similarities， so it is not at all strange that in
the past three years or so， much the same educational
campaign about depression has been directed at
physicians.
Hypertension is insidious in onset， can produce
marked morbidity and mortality， and can be effectively
treated in most cases. Depression is also insidious in
onset， although more symptomatic than hypertension.
Depressed patients may not know that they are depressed，
but rather feel that something is seriously wrong.
Depression is much more difficult to diagnose than
hypertension， for many symptoms provide many diagnostic
leads. Hypertension can be diagnosed by the simplest of
physical examinations; depression often remains
unrecognized even after a $2000 workup. The morbidity of
depression is not long delayed but immediately apparent;
depressed patients are miserable and are often severely
impaired. The degree and duration of impairment may
rival that of many serious disorders. And depression is
a potentially fatal illness， one of the few with which
psychiatrists must deal. ~ \"
Both hypertension and depression are well managed by
drug therapy， although one must confess that drug
treatment of hypertension is more rewarding. One has
many more points of pharmacologic attack on the
pathogenesis of hypertension， which is still largely
unknown. Drug treatment for both disorders is
unpleasant， producing a variety of side effects. Thus，
compliance in treatment is a problem with both illnesses，
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