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