Princeton, N.J., December 7, 1998 - Consumer Health Sciences (CHS), a consumer healthcare information company, has found that one out of five depression sufferers recently surveyed say their depression has caused a loss of self-esteem or depression in other family members, as well as a shift in household responsibilities. And this is in addition to reporting the occurrence of other significant family problems during the past six months.

The findings on depression and family impact are among the data collected by CHS for its Mental Health & Wellness Project, a national longitudinal survey of more than 1,900 individuals suffering from mental health problems. Of these respondents, 1570 (80%) suffer from depression .

Depression's Impact on the Family:
The Mental Health & Wellness Project includes data on the frequency and type of negative family impacts - with 68% of respondents with depression reporting that their condition has adversely affected their family during the past six months (Please see attached charts).

The survey finds that the most frequently reported negative family impacts are difficulty with family discussions (41%), a decline in social activities (38%), and increased disagreements (36%).

In addition to family impact, respondents were asked to provide information on their:

• Use of prescription drugs, healthcare services, and employee assistance programs to help treat their depression;
• Use of alternative therapies - including herbal remedies, homeopathic treatments, acupuncture, message, spiritual healing, and diet changes;
• General well-being, physical health, and sources of healthcare information;
• Use of tobacco, alcohol, and smoking cessation therapies;
• Familiarity with advertising of brand name drugs.

"The holidays can be a difficult time for many people, especially those already suffering from depression. Yet, depression has far reaching effects that extend beyond the depression sufferer," states Jane A. Donohue, President of CHS. "There has been limited information available about the impact on family members. The CHS information offers a unique perspective by revealing insights into family impact."

The new Mental Health & Wellness Project data is maintained in a relational database and is immediately available from CHS. Additional disease-specific, longitudinal surveys on Alzheimer's Disease, Diabetes, and Schizophrenia, as well as a National Health and Wellness Survey, are also available from CHS. For more information, contact Jeff Forringer at (609) 924-4455, ext. 104 or at Forringer@aol.com.

Consumer Health Sciences, LLC is a privately held company that specializes in providing consumer healthcare data from professionally designed surveys and expert data analysis. CHS originated the concept of providing specific consumer healthcare data to pharmaceutical industry decision-makers and it maintains the largest commercially available database in this area. The firm has become profitable in just two years, more than doubling its revenues between 1997 and 1998.