According to the American Psychological Association, Major Depressive Disorder is the leading cause of disability for ages 15-44 in the United States. It effects 14.8 million Americans with the average onset age of 32 years old. Specifically to Whitley County, the Behavior Risk Factor Surveillance System shows Whitley Countians reported having 5 days out of 30 of poor mental health, which is higher than the state average of 4 days. 

Because of these staggering statistics, the Whitley County Cooperative Extension Service held a "Blue to You" series on how to deal with depression across age and gender differences. Each week focused on a different age group or gender and eventually covered all populations in the county. This Family and Consumer Sciences program includes how to recognize someone struggling with Depression, what to do if you have symptoms, and ways to help treat depression. We incorporated a guest speaker from the University of the Cumberland Psychology Department to speak to the women about symptoms and treatments. It was also covered in the local newspaper.

The average age of participants were 63 and there were new participants each week. These presentation decreased the negative stigma put on depression in every age and gender. It opened dialogue for those who normally would not talk about mental health. As a result of these presentations, 98% of participants said they knew where to go in their community to get help with depression. Most participants experienced an increase of knowledge about signs and symptoms depression in their age/gender group. We will repeat this program again in January of next year.