Wednesday, March 27, 2024

Maybe It’s Clinical Depression

Theres No Shame When Experiencing Depression Vs Sadness

maybe she’s born with it, maybe it’s clinical depression

Severe depression is hard to share, even with trusted friends. Not knowing if its depression vs. sadness is scary. Theres a fear that its unacceptable to feel what you feel and deal with it the way you do.

While its better to deal with depression in healthy ways, its important to understand that unhealthy behaviors are a cry for help. Take these behaviors and symptoms seriously. Find treatment in a safe place with professionals.

Dont stay quiet. Whether you recognize the symptoms in yourself or someone else, it is okay.

FHE Health is a safe facility dedicated to improving the lives of those who suffer from depression, mental illness, and addiction. We are one of the safest calls you can make to get help for yourself or a loved one.

Contact us right away for help, or for more information. We are available 24/7 and ready to listen and help.

College Students And Depression

Being in college can be an exciting time, as both men and women embark on their first forays into the world as young adults. It can also be an overwhelming time of challenging new experiences, including living on their own for the first time, tough school work, financial concerns, navigating relationships, balancing work and school. So its no surprise that 30 percent of college students felt so depressed that it was difficult to function sometime in the last year, according to a nationwide 2011 survey conducted by the American College Health AssociationNational College Health Assessment .

Students need to know the above info, that depression symptoms can differ between men and women. They also need to be aware of just whats at stake: The third leading cause of death for teens and young adults ages 15 to 24 is suicide. And in that ACHANCHA survey, more than 6 percent of college students reported seriously considering suicide about 1 percent reported attempting suicide in the previous year. Receiving help is vital. On-campus mental health services including counseling centers, student health centers, a trusted professor or student advisor, or doctor might assist with care.

Other key pieces of info for this age group and depression:

How Is Depression Treated

Depression is a serious health issue and should be managed by a qualified health practitioner. Your GP can assess your mood and your overall health, and will suggest treatment approaches based on several factors, including what type of depression you have, how severe your symptoms are and whether you are experiencing a first or recurrent episode.

There are 3 main approaches to treating depression: lifestyle changes psychological treatments and physical therapies . Often these treatments are used in combination.

A wide range of medicines are used in treating depression, and your doctor will work with you to find the one that is right for you. It can take several weeks for an antidepressant medicine to work fully, and often your doctor may need to adjust your dose.

It is important that you receive full support during this time and Beyond Blue has a free telephone counselling support line with trained mental health professionals.

Also Check: What Is Major Depressive Disorder Definition

What Are The Possible Causes Of Depression

Every person with depression is different, and everyone with depression has a unique set of circumstances. Usually, a combination of factors will contribute. While you often can’t pinpoint the cause of the depression, understanding the circumstances can sometimes help you understand how to best manage it.

Are Women At Higher Risk For Major Depression

" maybe shes born with it, maybe its clinical depression"  Sticker by ...

Almost twice as many women as men have major or clinical depression hormonal changes during puberty, menstruation, pregnancy, miscarriage, and menopause, may increase the risk.

Other factors that boost the risk of clinical depression in women who are biologically vulnerable to it include increased stress at home or at work, balancing family life with career, and caring for an aging parent. Raising a child alone will also increase the risk.

Recommended Reading: What Does Major Depression Feel Like

How Do Doctors Diagnose Depression

When youre having a depressive episode, it might feel like youre destined to feel terrible forever. Thats not true. Its just what your depressed brain wants you to think. The hardest step is ignoring that feeling and making an appointment with a doctor and/or mental health professional, such as a psychologist or psychiatrist. A mental health professional is the only expert that can help you figure out if you are depressed.

Unfortunately, theres no easy blood test that can determine if you have depression, though that would make diagnosis a lot easier. The DSM-5 helps clinicians make that call with a targeted list of common symptoms. To be diagnosed with MDD, patients must experience five or more of the above symptoms one must be in a depressed mood or have a loss of pleasureduring a two-week period.

Even if your symptoms match up to MDD, though, your doctor should rule out any underlying medical causes first. Some conditions, such as thyroid disease and vitamin deficiency, can mimic symptoms of depression. Next, consider any medications youre currently taking.

If this sounds like you or someone you know, make an appointment with a mental health professional. Now. Don’t wait! What’s the worst thing that can happen? If you feel better by the time the appointment rolls around, you can always cancel it. If you dont, youve saved yourself precious time by taking steps to managing your mental health.

What Is The Prognosis For Depression

Untreated episodes of clinical depression typically last from 6-24 months.

When properly treated, episodes resolve in much shorter time periods.

  • About two-thirds of people will recover and be able to return to their normal activities within days or weeks.
  • About 25% of people will continue to exhibit moderate to severe symptoms for months to years after the initial episode.
  • Nearly 10% of people with depression will have continuous or intermittent symptoms for 2 or more years. A person who has one episode of depression should be on the lookout for recurrent episodes of depression, since these occur about 50% of the time. However, timely treatment is usually effective for these recurrent episodes as well.

Recommended Reading: Can Depression And Anxiety Cause Hallucinations

Only Women Get Depressed

Depression can occur in people of any race, ethnic, or economic group, and at any age. Women are almost twice as likely as men to be diagnosed with depression, but the jury is still out on how much of this is due to women reporting and seeking treatment more often than men.

Children and adolescents can also be at risk for depression. Unfortunately, many children with depression go untreated because adults don’t recognize the warning signs, which are often different when compared to adults.

Classification In Relation To Depression Rating Scales And Questionnaires

trixie mattel depression

Depression rating scales and questionnaires give ranges that are proposed to describe different severities of depression. Some of these were described in of the first NICE depression guideline. In reconsidering this for this guideline and the guideline update, it quickly became apparent not only that there is no consensus for the proposed ranges but also that the ranges in different rating scales and questionnaires do not correspond with each other. In addition, there a variable degree of correlation between different scales, which indicates that the they do not measure precisely the same aspects of depression. When these factors are added to the need to consider more than symptoms in determining severity, and more than severity in considering diagnosis, the GDG was concerned not to perpetuate a spurious precision in relating scores in depression rating scales and questionnaires to the diagnosis or severity of depression, which must in the end be a clinical judgement.

Read Also: What Severe Depression Feels Like

What Are The Signs Of Major Depression In Men

Depression in men is significantly underreported. Men who suffer from clinical depression are less likely to seek help or even talk about their experience.

Signs of depression in men may include irritability, anger, or drug and alcohol abuse . Suppressing negative feelings can result in violent behavior directed both inwardly and outwardly. It can also result in an increase in illness, suicide, and homicide.

Where Can I Find Depression

The thing about depression is that it makes you want to roll yourself into a blanket burrito and never come out. But shutting out the world can make an already-bad situation worse by giving you free reign to neglect your needs, ruminate over your perceived flaws, and destroy any chance of forward momentum. Along with therapy and medication, finding supportive peopleand connecting with them online and in real lifeis a key part of taking care of yourself. Here’s where to start.

Also Check: Difference Between Bipolar Disorder And Bipolar Depression

Who Does Depression Target

While it impacts a small percentage of the population, depression is more common than you might think. In 2016, almost 16.2 million adults in the U.S. reported at least one episode of major depressive. That number doesnt include teens or children.

The most reported age group for depression is adults ages 18-25. These are young adults debilitated by a serious illness at a time when they are trying to figure out who they are and life itself.

Its important to provide help for depression sufferers at any stage of life. But we see it more commonly in the younger population with so much life left to live and enjoy. People with a history of depression in the family are also at high risk to suffer from major depression.

Certain segments of the population also seem more prone to depression than others. Reports of depression are higher with women than with men. But its important for other demographics to recognize what they are feeling and get help if needed.

What Medications Are Used To Treat Depression

" maybe its clinical depression

Non-neuroleptic mood-stabilizer medications are also sometimes used with an antidepressant to treat people with unipolar depression who do not improve after receiving trials of different antidepressants and in addition to or instead of an antidepressant in those who suffer from bipolar disorder. Examples of non-neuroleptic mood stabilizers include:

Of the non-neuroleptic mood stabilizers, Lamictal seems to be unique in its ability to also treat unipolar depression effectively by itself as well as in addition to an antidepressant.

The MAOIs are not used as often since the introduction of the SSRIs. Because of interactions with some anti-depression medications and specific foods, the MAOIs may not be taken with many other types of medication and some types of foods that are high in tyramine must be avoided as well. Examples of MAOIs include:

One-half to two-thirds of people who take antidepressant medications get better. It may take anywhere from one to six weeks of taking medication at its effective dose to start feeling better. Don’t give up taking the medication if you don’t feel better right away. Your doctor will see you again during this period to see if your body is tolerating the medication and if your symptoms are better. If they are not, he or she may adjust your dose or prescribe a different medication.

Recommended Reading: How To Heal Postpartum Depression

Symptoms Of Severe Depression

Someone with severe clinical depression feels sad and hopeless for most of the day, practically every day, and has no interest in anything. Getting through the day feels almost impossible.

Other typical symptoms of severe depression are:

  • fatigue
  • loss of pleasure in things
  • disturbed sleep
  • being unable to concentrate or being indecisive
  • thoughts of death or suicide

Having moments of psychosis means experiencing:

  • delusions thoughts or beliefs that are unlikely to be true
  • hallucinations hearing and, in some cases, feeling, smelling, seeing or tasting things that are not there hearing voices is a common hallucination

The delusions and hallucinations almost always reflect the person’s deeply depressed mood for example, they may become convinced they’re to blame for something, or that they’ve committed a crime.

“Psychomotor agitation” is also common. This means not being able to relax or sit still, and constantly fidgeting.

At the other extreme, a person with psychotic depression may have “psychomotor retardation”, where both their thoughts and physical movements slow down.

People with psychotic depression have an increased risk of thinking about suicide.

What Is Depression Really

Its normal to experience sadness. But unlike typical sadness or grief, time cant and wont heal Major Depressive Disorder , the term for clinical depression, which most people just call depression. Its a common mental health condition that shows up like an unwanted houseguest and refuses to leave. This extended period of sadness or emptiness comes with a constellation of other symptoms, like exhaustion, sleep trouble, a shrinking appetite, overeating, sudden crying spells, and sometimes thoughts of suicide. Symptoms range in severity and must last for two weeks or more to receive an MDD diagnosis, though its rare that an episode would only last for that short time. Most people have symptoms for six months to a year, and sometimes, they can last for years.

Without treatment, depression wont fade away on its own. Even if you do white-knuckle it through your first episode of depression, your is more than 50 percent. Meaning, youre going to want to deal with this sooner rather than later.

One hallmark of depression is an inability to experience pleasure, which is literally no fun. Losing interest in things you once enjoyed often means that your capacity to function at work and home takes a dive. In fact, depression is one of the leading causes of disability in the U.S., as 7.2% of Americans17.7 million peopleexperience Major Depressive Disorder, each year.

Read Also: Best Natural Herbs For Depression And Anxiety

Atypical Antidepressants And Atypical Antipsychotics

Atypical antidepressants dont fit in with other antidepressants and work differently from each other, hence their name. Second-generation antipsychotics are atypical in that they affect dopamine and other neurotransmitters without the physical side effects, such as tics and tremors, that first-generation antipsychotics can cause. As a result, these meds can also have unique side effects, specific to their medication. Here are only a few of these drugs, but are names you might recognize:

  • Wellbutrin : This oral medication has many brand names and is taken as a tablet in immediate release , sustained release , and extended release formulations, all of which have different frequencies and doses of taking them.

  • Remeron : This oral medication has been associated with an increase in cholesterol and weight gain. Its usually taken one time per day at bedtime as either a table or oral disintegrating tablet. Its typical dosage is 15 mg to 45 mg.

  • Seroquel : This oral med tablet is mainly used to treat schizophrenia, but can be used as adjunctive treatment of major depressive disorder, or in combination with an antidepressant. Its typically taken 1, 2, or 3 times per day with or without food in 100 mg to 800 mg doses.

  • Abilify : This med, given in different ways, is mainly used for schizophrenia as well, but can also be used as adjunctive treatment for MDD. Dose and administration vary, so discuss the best way and dosage of the drug with your healthcare professional.

Can Major Depression Be Prevented

How to Spot Severe Depression vs Feeling Depressed

Once you have had an episode of major depression, you are at high risk of having another. The best way to prevent another episode of depression is to be aware of the triggers or causes of major depression and to continue taking the prescribed medication to avoid relapse. It is also important to know what the symptoms of major depression are and to talk with your doctor early if you have any of these symptoms.

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Read Also: Free Online Support Groups For Depression

Diagnosis Of Minor Depressive Disorder

Given how common milder forms of depression are, and the problems inherent in defining a threshold of clinical importance because of the diagnostic system differences and the lack of any natural discontinuity identifying a critical threshold , the guideline update, and by extension this guideline, has broadened its scope to include depression that is subthreshold, that is, does not meet the full criteria for a depressive/major depressive episode. A further reason is that subthreshold depression has been increasingly recognised as causing considerable morbidity and human and economic costs, is more common in those with a history of major depression and is a risk factor for future major depression .

Both DSMIV and ICD10 do have the category of dysthymia, which consists of depressive symptoms which are subthreshold for major depression but which persist . There appears to be no empirical evidence that dysthymia is distinct from minor depression apart from duration of symptoms.

ICD10 has a category of mixed anxiety and depression, which is less clearly defined than minor depression, and is largely a diagnosis of exclusion in those with anxiety and depressive symptoms subthreshold for specific disorders. Not unexpectedly it appears to be a heterogeneous category with a lack of diagnostic stability over time . For this reason it has not been included in this guideline.

Are There Other Therapies To Treat Symptoms Of Depression

There are other treatments your doctor may consider. Electroconvulsive therapy, or ECT, is a treatment option for people whose symptoms don’t get better with medicine or who have severe depression and need treatment right away.

Transcranial magnetic stimulation, or TMS, involves using a noninvasive device that is held above the head to induce the magnetic field. It targets a specific part of the brain that can trigger depression.

With vagus nerve stimulation, or VMS, a pacemaker-like device is surgically implanted under the collarbone to deliver regular impulses to the brain.

Recommended Reading: Questions To Ask To A Depressed Person

Do I Have The Symptoms And Signs Of Depression

Wondering whether your for clinical depression? Those with MDD experience five or more of the below during the same two-week period, and at least one must be depressed mood or loss of pleasure. The symptoms and signs of depression would be distressing or affect daily functioning.

  • You feel down most of the time.

  • The things you liked doing no longer give you joy.

  • Significant weight loss or weight gain or feeling consistently much less hungry or hungrier than usual.

  • Having a hard time getting to sleep and staying asleep or oversleeping.

  • A molasses-like slowdown of thought, becoming a couch potato, or spending days in bed.

  • So. So. Tired. Youre so exhausted you cant even.

  • Feeling worthless a lot of the time, even if you havent done anything wrong.

  • Being super distracted, indecisive, and unable to concentrate.

  • Recurrent thoughts of death or suicide . If you need help for yourself or someone else, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK .

Symptoms and signs of depression can differ by gender and what age you are, too. Here are some of those ways:

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