What If I Am Not Happy With My Treatment
If you are not happy with your treatment you can:
- talk to your doctor to see if they can suggest changes,
- get an advocate to help you speak your doctor,
- ask for a second opinion if you feel it would help,
- contact Patient Advice and Liaison Service and see whether they can help, or
- make a complaint.
There is more information about these options below.
Advocacy
An advocate is independent from the NHS. They are free to use. They can be useful if you find it difficult to get your views heard.
There are different types of advocates available. Community advocates can support you to get a health professional to listen to your concerns. And help you to get the treatment that you would like. They arent available in all areas.
You can ask an advocate to help you make a complaint. Advocates that do this are called NHS complaints advocates. They are free to use and don t work for the NHS. They re available in all areas.
You can search online to search for a local advocacy service. If you cant find a service you can call our advice service 0808 801 0525 . You can email us too at . We will look for you.
Second opinion
Talk to your doctor about your treatment to see if you can resolve the problem with them first. If you dont agree with their decisions about diagnosis or treatment, you could ask for a second opinion. You are not legally entitled to a second opinion, but your doctor might agree to it if it would help with treatment options.
‘PALS’
Complaints
- Advocacy by clicking here.
How Does Light Therapy Work
To use light therapy or phototherapy, you purchase a special lamp. It has white fluorescent light tubes covered with a plastic screen to block ultraviolet rays. The light is about 20 times brighter than regular indoor light. The intensity of light emitted should be 10,000 lux.
To use phototherapy, dont look directly into the light. Your exposure to the light should be indirect. Place the lamp about two to three feet away while you read, eat, work or do other activities.
Do I Need Health Insurance To Receive This Service
The referral service is free of charge. If you have no insurance or are underinsured, we will refer you to your state office, which is responsible for state-funded treatment programs. In addition, we can often refer you to facilities that charge on a sliding fee scale or accept Medicare or Medicaid. If you have health insurance, you are encouraged to contact your insurer for a list of participating health care providers and facilities.
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Depression In People With Dementia
Depression is common in people with Alzheimers and related dementias. Dementia can cause some of the same symptoms as depression, and depression can be an early warning sign of possible dementia. Suicide attempts may also increase in people recently diagnosed with dementia. It is important to have support systems in place to help cope with a dementia diagnosis and possible depression symptoms that follow. More research is needed to determine effective depression treatment options for people with dementia.
When Should I Seek Help
No matter your gender, age or life circumstances, know that depression is a treatable condition and help is not only available, its what you deserve to get your life back on track.
If you feel like the symptoms detailed above are having a damaging effect on your life, it may be time to seek professional help. The first place to head is your GP, who can offer you professional advice and a diagnosis.
Alternatively, you could seek depression treatment here at Priory, where we can work with you to develop a recovery programme that fits your needs and circumstances. We offer intensive inpatient stays, weekly therapy sessions that fit in with your life and work commitments, and online therapy that allows you to recover from the comfort of your own home.
Depression is a mental illness, not a sign of weakness. You can make a full and lasting recovery. Get the support you need today by contacting usand speaking to our highly trained mental health professionals about the difficulties youve been experiencing.
For details of how Priory can provide you with assistance regarding mental health and wellbeing, please call 0800 840 3219 or make an enquiry. For professionals looking to make a referral, please click here.
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Life Events And Depression
Research suggests that continuing difficulties, such as long-term unemployment, living in an abusive or uncaring relationship, long-term isolation or loneliness or prolonged exposure to stress at work can increase the risk of depression.
Significant adverse life events, such as losing a job, going through a separation or divorce, or being diagnosed with a serious illness, may also trigger depression, particularly among people who are already at risk because of genetic, developmental or other personal factors.
Alcohol Tobacco And Other Drugs
The misuse and abuse of alcohol, tobacco, illicit drugs, and prescription medications affect the health and well-being of millions of Americans. SAMHSAs 2020 National Survey on Drug Use and Health reports that approximately 19.3 million people aged 18 or older had a substance use disorder in the past year.
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Who Can Experience Depression Symptoms
Depression can happen to anyone and depression causes can vary from person to person. However, your age, gender and other circumstances in your life can have an impact on the likelihood of you suffering from a type of depression, whether that be dysthymia, bipolar depression or clinical depression. It might also impact the types of symptoms you experience.
Talking With Friends And Family About Suicide
Its important to watch for signs and symptoms of depression or suicide. Dont shy away from asking if a family member or friend is feeling depressed or suicidal. It may be an uncomfortable conversation, but it is important. Asking if someone is having thoughts of suicide will not make them more likely to act on those thoughts. Your questions may help the person open up about how theyve been feeling and encourage them to seek treatment.
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Bipolar I And Ii Disorders
Bipolar disorders can cause individuals to suffer from mood swings, which range from hypomania or mania to major depression. Trained health professionals can sometimes struggle to tell the difference between bipolar disorders and major depressive disorder since most people do not visit their doctors when they experience hypomanic moods. An affected individual often only seeks treatment when he experiences a depressed mood.
Dietary And Exercise Habits
Healthy eating and exercise habits are important for physical and mental health.
Diet
The results of a 2020 systematic review of the research suggest that some foods may reduce the risk of depression. Others may increase the risk, when considered as overall dietary habits.
Dietary habits that may lower the risk of depression include:
- Balanced food choices
Diets that included higher amounts of these foods were associated with an increased risk of depression:
- Added sugar such as soda
- Processed foods
- Foods that contribute to increased inflammation in the body
Exercise
A 2020 narrative review found exercise may be an effective treatment for major depression in some adults. The results varied, though, and more research is needed to understand the level of exercise involved and how well it works over time.
This review showed that three sessions of physical exercise per week for 12â24 weeks typically reduced the severity of depression symptoms a medium to large amount.
Exercise also was found to increase by 22% the chance that people would not fall back into depression symptoms, when compared with treatment as usual.
These results are promising but not conclusive. Exercise routines may need to be ongoing to continue the benefits they provide.
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What Risks And Complications Can Depression Cause
Having depression can cause other problems. It can affect your mental health as well as your physical health, and it may affect other areas of your life too. For example, depression may cause:
- disturbed sleep,
- difficulties with work and your hobbies,
- difficulties keeping contact with friends and families, or
- suicidal thoughts or thoughts of self-harming.
Some people might also drink more alcohol to try and relieve depression. However, as we said in the previous section above, this can actually make depression worse.
If you have any of these problems, speak to your GP.
How Is Depression Treated
Depression is among the most treatable of mental disorders. Between 80% and 90% percent of people with depression eventually respond well to treatment. Almost all patients gain some relief from their symptoms.
Before a diagnosis or treatment, a health professional should conduct a thorough diagnostic evaluation, including an interview and a physical examination. In some cases, a blood test might be done to make sure the depression is not due to a medical condition like a thyroid problem or a vitamin deficiency . The evaluation will identify specific symptoms and explore medical and family histories as well as cultural and environmental factors with the goal of arriving at a diagnosis and planning a course of action.
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Common Signs And Symptoms Of Depression
Here are some common signs of depression you may experience.
How you might feel
- guilty, worthless and down on yourself
- empty and numb
- isolated and unable to relate to other people
- finding no pleasure in life or things you usually enjoy
- a sense of unreality
- avoiding social events and activities you usually enjoy
- self-harming or suicidal behaviour
- difficulty speaking, thinking clearly or making decisions
- losing interest in sex
- difficulty remembering or concentrating on things
- using more tobacco, alcohol or other drugs than usual
- difficulty sleeping, or sleeping too much
- feeling tired all the time
- no appetite and losing weight, or eating too much and gaining weight
- physical aches and pains with no obvious physical cause
- moving very slowly, or being restless and agitated.
“It felt like I was really tired, all the time. I had no energy or emotion about anything.”
Uncommon Signs And Symptoms Of Depression Updated
Estimated reading time: 6 minutes
By Tara Yombor, LMHC, and updated by Sarah Desantis, LCSW
Symptoms of depression can show up in uncommon ways. Imagine you are out to lunch with a friend. While chatting over Cobb Salads and a Coke, she tells you about her cousin who has been severely depressed.
Then, your friend states that her cousin seems happy and even makes jokes at her own expense, despite her report of struggling with severe depression.
Wait, what?
Shes angry?
Making jokes?
That doesnt sound like depression or at least not the typical signs of depression that weve all come to know.
At some point, we all may experience a temporary feeling of sadness, whether its not getting a promotion at work, or At some point, we all may experience temporary feelings of sadness, whether its not getting the promotion at work or being sad over a breakup.
Depression is much more than a temporary feeling of sadness and it presents differently for every individual. For someone who is facing Major Depressive Disorder , internally they may feel lost, hopeless, helpless, guilty, angry, sad, anxious, or even suicidal. They may experience a lack of sleep, lack of pleasure, and decreased or increased appetite. Depression can feel debilitating.
Someone may still feel isolated even when surrounded by a sea of loving people.
Depression is not an emotion its a mental illness.
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What Does Depression Feel Like
Depression may cause you to feel sad, lose interest in activities that you enjoy, withdraw from others, or have less energy. The two most common symptoms of depression are:
- Feeling sad or hopeless nearly every day for at least 2 weeks.
- Losing interest in or not getting pleasure from most daily activities that you used to enjoy, and feeling this way nearly every day for at least 2 weeks.
The daily activities that you used to do may change and you may experience any of the following:
- Sleep too much or not enough, which may cause you to feel tired all the time.
- Worry that people dont like you or feel guilt for no reason.
- Have a hard time making decisions, remembering things, and focusing.
- Feel more or less hungry than usual, causing weight gain or loss.
Try this tool to help understand whether the symptoms you are experiencing might be due to depression. The tool is not for diagnosis, but it can help you better understand what youre experiencing. It can be a helpful tool when talking to someone like a care provider or doctor.
There are supports to help you feel better.
Thinking about death or suicide is a serious symptom of depression. If you or someone you care about talks about feeling helpless or is showing warning signs of suicide, find help right away. Call the BC Crisis Line at .
Uncommon Symptoms Of Depression You May Be Overlooking
Answer by Mike Leary, psychotherapist in private practice, on Quora:
Many people know of depression from experiencing it themselves or seeing friends or coworkers struggle with lethargy, trouble concentrating, and chronic fatigue. It’s this low mood over a long period of time most people identify as depression. Persistent depressive disorder is the professional label and generally includes changes in sleep habits and/or appetite. Commercials for antidepressants usually show a disheveled, tearful person huddled in their bathrobe or hunched over the kitchen table staring into space unable to work or face the day. The CDC says 6.7% of the US adult population, approximately 14.8 million, are depressed in a given year.
But depression comes in many forms and displays a wide range of symptoms depending on the type, the duration, severity, and the precipitating cause. If your behavior and mood match the stereotypical idea, you may self-diagnose or seek relief from a physician or therapist. But what if your most prevalent change is a loss of libido or being short-tempered or doubting your memory and problem solving abilities? Or you have times when paradoxically you think you have to conquer everything perfectly? All of these may occur as identifiers of depression to a trained clinician. They tend to masked depression for people who normalize what they are observing.
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What Are The Signs And Symptoms Of Depression
To make a diagnosis of clinical depression, health care providers generally follow guidelines laid out in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders . Your doctor may also order lab work and conduct a thorough physical exam to rule out other conditions like thyroid disease, low blood pressure, anemia, and vitamin D deficiency, which can have similar symptoms.
According to the DSM-5³, a patient meets the criteria for major clinical depression if they exhibit at least five out of a list of nine common symptoms on a daily basis for a minimum of two weeks. These symptoms may be a departure from what is usual. And a patient may be experiencing one of two symptoms in particular: sadness/depressed mood and loss of enjoyment of things they once found pleasurable . However, even these two symptoms can manifest in less obvious ways depending on the individual.
Keep in mind that the DSM gives health care providers flexibility when it comes to making their diagnosis. Sometimes a patient may repress feelings of sadness and instead come off as irritable or disengaged. Its up to therapists to explore those feelings and make the determination of whether their patient is dealing with depression, something else like anxiety or , or a combination of issues, says Brent Metcalf, LCSW, a provider at Tri-Star Counseling in Johnson City, Tennessee.
What You Can Do To Feel Better
When youre depressed, it can feel like theres no light at the end of the tunnel. But there are many things you can do to lift and stabilize your mood. The key is to start with a few small goals and slowly build from there, trying to do a little more each day. Feeling better takes time, but you can get there by making positive choices for yourself.
Reach out to other people. Isolation fuels depression, so reach out to friends and loved ones, even if you feel like being alone or dont want to be a burden to others. The simple act of talking to someone face-to-face about how you feel can be an enormous help. The person you talk to doesnt have to be able to fix you. They just need to be a good listenersomeone wholl listen attentively without being distracted or judging you.
Get moving. When youre depressed, just getting out of bed can seem daunting, let alone exercising. But regular exercise can be as effective as antidepressant medication in countering the symptoms of depression. Take a short walk or put some music on and dance around. Start with small activities and build up from there.
Eat a mood boosting diet. Reduce your intake of foods that can adversely affect your mood, such as caffeine, alcohol, trans fats, sugar and refined carbs. And increase mood-enhancing nutrients such as Omega-3 fatty acids.
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Personal Factors That Can Lead To Depression
Personal factors that can lead to a risk of depression include:
- family history depression can run in families and some people will be at an increased genetic risk. However, this doesnt mean that a person will automatically experience depression if a parent or close relative has had the condition.
- personality some people may be more at risk because of their personality, particularly if they tend to worry a lot, have low self-esteem, are perfectionists, are sensitive to personal criticism, or are self-critical and negative
- serious medical conditions these can trigger depression in two ways. Serious conditions can bring about depression directly or can contribute to depression through the associated stress and worry, especially if it involves long-term management of a condition or chronic pain
- drug and alcohol use can both lead to and result from depression. Many people with depression also have drug and alcohol problems.