Created by the federal government's chief mental-health research group, this site provides basic information about depression, including symptoms, treatment, and how to get help. Navigation is easy, and you can find information specifically for women, men, children and older people.

The site allows you to adjust the font size of your text (in the upper right corner of the screen): This is a great feature, because there's a LOT of text and not much else.

The site is full of information and statistics on depression and mental health in general, including symptoms and treatment options. There are links to research studies (called clinical trials) and to an online database that catalogs recent depression research.

The site does not offer many interactive tools, but it does have a great section called Real Men, Real Depression that includes interviews with more than a half-dozen men who've been treated for depression. There's also a publication on the site called Stories of Depression: Does This Sound Like You? that includes a depression checklist, stories about living with the condition from a variety of people, and steps to find treatment.

The graphics on the home page are excellent. Information is concise and a how to get help page and a how to make life easier page include useful tips.

This site does not include any interactive tools and the site's new news section hasn't been updated in three years. Little attention is paid to the value of psychotherapy. Don't make this site your first visit.

If you're on dial-up, grab a snack, because this site takes a while to load. It's worth it, though.

This site can connect you with in-person and online support groups. There are also stories from real people about their experiences with depression; the authors are diverse enough that everyone probably can relate in some way.

The site also includes basic information, as well as confidential screenings for depression and bipolar disorder. This site's strength, however, is its connection to real people.

This site is appealing to look at and has scads of information on many topics directly and indirectly related to depression, including getting your anger under control, eating disorders, stress reduction, keys to a good marriage, and helping your kids be more resilient. There's also detailed information on depression itself.

Despite the appealing graphics, this is a very text-heavy site, so be prepared to read.and read.and read. The topics go above and beyond most other sites (there's an entire section on extreme shyness, for example, and how it might signal depression). You may not agree with everything written here, and very little information is provided about antidepressant medication. Much of the information is more than five years old (a copyright date appears at the bottom of most articles).

This site doesn't contain any interactive tools, but it does cover topics that aren't discussed on other sites.