What Does It Mean To Be Diagnosed With Depression

How Can I Find Help

Depression Treatment Options: A Quick-Start Guide: What to Do If You’re Diagnosed With Depression

If you think you may have depression, start by making an appointment to see your doctor or health care provider. This could be your primary care practitioner or a health provider who specializes in diagnosing and treating mental health conditions. Visit the NIMH Find Help for Mental Illnesses if you are unsure of where to start.

How Is Depression Syndrome Treated

Depression can be serious, but its also treatable. Treatment for depression includes:

Self-help: Regular exercise, getting enough sleep, and spending time with people you care about can improve depression symptoms.
Counseling: Counseling or psychotherapy is talking with a mental health professional. Your counselor helps you address your problems and develop coping skills. Sometimes brief therapy is all you need. Other people continue therapy longer.
Alternative medicine: People with mild depression or ongoing symptoms can improve their well-being with complementary therapy. Therapy may include massage, acupuncture, hypnosis and biofeedback.
Medication: Prescription medicine called antidepressants can help change brain chemistry that causes depression. Antidepressants can take a few weeks to have an effect. Some antidepressants have side effects, which often improve with time. If they dont, talk to your provider. A different medications may work better for you.
Brain stimulation therapy: Brain stimulation therapy can help people who have severe depression or depression with psychosis. Types of brain stimulation therapy include electroconvulsive therapy , transcranial magnetic stimulation and vagus nerve stimulation .

How Is Major Depressive Disorder Treated

MDD is often treated with medication and psychotherapy. Some lifestyle adjustments can also help ease certain symptoms.

People who have severe MDD or have thoughts of harming themselves may need to stay in a hospital during treatment. Some might also need to take part in an outpatient treatment program until symptoms improve.

Recommended Reading: Steps To Deal With Depression

What Are The Different Types Of Depression

Two common forms of depression are:

Major depression, which includes symptoms of depression most of the time for at least 2 weeks that typically interfere with ones ability to work, sleep, study, and eat.
Persistent depressive disorder , which often includes less severe symptoms of depression that last much longer, typically for at least 2 years.

Other forms of depression include:

Perinatal depression, which occurs when a woman experiences major depression during pregnancy or after delivery .
Seasonal affective disorder, which comes and goes with the seasons, typically starting in late fall and early winter and going away during spring and summer.
Depression with symptoms of psychosis, which is a severe form of depression where a person experiences psychosis symptoms, such as delusions or hallucinations .

Individuals diagnosed with bipolar disorder also experience depression.

Who Is It For

Schizophrenia spectrum disorders, such as schizotypal personality disorder, delusional disorder and schizoaffective disorder
Some personality disorders, including schizoid personality disorder, schizotypal personality disorder, and some forms of borderline personality disorder
Depressive disorders, such as major depressive disorder with psychotic features
Obsessive-compulsive disorders, such as Tourette syndrome
Bipolar disorders
Dissociative disorders, including dissociative identity disorder and depersonalization/derealization disorder
Feeding and eating disorders

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Coping With Clinical Depression

Clinical depression can be disabling and may make it difficult to function normally at work, school, and home. Medication and therapy can be valuable components of depression treatment, but each individual person with depression will need to find their own ways of coping with the condition.

If you have depression, there are a variety of avenues you can explore to help you manage your symptoms. Depending on your lifestyle, physical health, and preferences, you can work with your mental health care team to develop the strategies that work best and feel like a good fit for you.

Should You Worry About Antidepressant Withdrawal

insomniaPsychiatric Times

More to the point, while you should slowly stop your antidepressant with the help of your doctor, antidepressants do not cause dependence and withdrawal like other substances. Unlike substances that are known to cause addiction, such as alcohol, opioids, and barbiturates, people don’t crave antidepressants. You dont get high from them, and they arent intentionally or compulsively overused. Serious reactions like the seizures and agitation that can follow sudden withdrawal from addictive substances are unheard of when these antidepressants are tapered gradually, note the authors of the Psychiatric Times report.

How Do I Know When To Seek Help

The biggest hurdle to diagnosing and treating depression is recognizing that someone has it. Unfortunately, about half of the people who have depression never get diagnosed or treated. And not getting treatment can be life threatening: More than 10% of people who have depression take their own lives.

When depression is hurting your life, such as causing trouble with relationships, work issues, or family disputes, and there isn’t a clear solution to these problems, you should seek help to keep things from getting worse, especially if these feelings last for any length of time.
If you or someone you know is having suicidal thoughts or feelings, seek help right away.

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Life Events And Depression

Clinical Depression Signs & Symptoms (& How It’s Diagnosed)

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.

Also Check: How Do You Know If You Are Suffering With Depression

Information For Family Carers And Friends

You can get support if you are a carer, friend or family member of someone living with depression.

Being a carer might mean you can claim certain benefits that might help you and the person you care for. For more information, please see the Mental Health and Money Advice services website:www.mentalhealthandmoneyadvice.org/en/welfare-benefits/what-benefits-are-available-for-mental-health-carers/

You could also get in touch with carer support groups or sibling support groups. You can search for local groups in your area online or ask your GP.

You can ask your local authority for a carers assessment if you need more practical support to help care for someone.

As a carer you should be involved in decisions about care planning. There are rules about information sharing and confidentiality which may make it difficult for you to get all the information you need in some circumstances.

You can find out more information about:

Carers assessments by clicking here.
Confidentiality and information sharing by clicking here.

How can I support the person that I care for?

You might find it easier to support someone with depression if you understand their symptoms, treatment and self-management skills. You can use this to support them to get help and stay well.

Below are some initial suggestions for providing practical day to day support to someone with depression.

You can find out more information about:

You can find more information about:

Website: www.web.ntw.nhs.uk/selfhelp/

When Does Low Mood Become Depression

We all have times when our mood is low, and we’re feeling sad or miserable about life. Usually these feelings pass in due course.

But if the feelings are interfering with your life and don’t go away after a couple of weeks, or if they come back over and over again for a few days at a time, it could be a sign that you’re experiencing depression. See our page on the symptoms of depression for more information.

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What Do The Results Mean

If you are diagnosed with depression, it’s important to get treatment as soon as possible. The sooner you get treatment, the better chance you have of recovery. Treatment for depression may take a long time, but most people who get treated eventually feel better.

If your primary care provider diagnosed you, he or she may refer you to a mental health provider. If a mental health provider diagnosed you, he or she will recommend a treatment plan based on the type of depression you have and how serious it is.

When To Call Your Healthcare Provider

If you have 5 or more of these symptoms for at least 2 weeks, call your healthcare provider:

Lasting sad, anxious, or empty mood
Loss of interest in almost all activities
Appetite and weight changes
Changes in sleep patterns, such as inability to sleep or sleeping too much
Slowing of physical activity, speech, and thinking OR agitation, increased restlessness, and irritability
Ongoing feelings of worthlessness and/or feelings of undue guilt
Trouble concentrating or making decisions
Repeating thoughts of death or suicide, wishing to die, or attempting suicide

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Depression And Suicide Risk

Depression is a major risk factor for suicide. Deep despair and hopelessness can make suicide feel like the only way to escape the pain. If you have a loved one with depression, take any suicidal talk or behavior seriously and watch for the warning signs:

Talking about killing or harming ones self.
Expressing strong feelings of hopelessness or being trapped.
An unusual preoccupation with death or dying.
Acting recklessly, as if they have a death wish .
Getting affairs in order .
Saying things like Everyone would be better off without me, or I want out.
A sudden switch from being extremely down to acting calm and happy.

If you think a friend or family member is considering suicide, express your concern and seek help immediately. Talking openly about suicidal thoughts and feelings can save a life.

If you are feeling suicidal

When youre feeling suicidal, your problems dont seem temporarythey seem overwhelming and permanent. But with time, you will feel better, especially if you get help. There are many people who want to support you during this difficult time, so please reach out!

ReadSuicide Help, call 988 in the U.S., or visit IASP or Suicide.org to find a helpline in your country.

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.

Also Check: Helping My Teenager With Depression

Where Can I Find Clinical Trials For Depression

Clinical trials are research studies that look at new ways to prevent, detect, or treat diseases and conditions. Although individuals may benefit from being part of a clinical trial, participants should be aware that the primary purpose of a clinical trial is to gain new scientific knowledge so others may receive better help in the future.

Researchers at the National Institute of Mental Health and around the country conduct many studies with patients and healthy volunteers. Talk to your health care provider about clinical trials, their benefits and risks, and whether one is right for you. For more information, visit NIMH’s clinical trials information.

How Do I Know Which Type I Have

Is Major Depression Overdiagnosed or Underdiagnosed?

If you think you might have any type of depression, its important to follow up with a doctor. All depression types discussed in this article are treatable, though it might take some time to find the right treatment for you.

If youve had a previous episode of depression and think it may be happening again, see a therapist or another mental health professional right away.

If youve never had depression before, start with a primary care physician. Some symptoms of depression can be related to an underlying physical condition that should be addressed.

Try to give your doctor as much information about your symptoms as you can. If possible, mention:

when you first noticed the symptoms
how theyve affected your daily life
any other mental health conditions you have
any information about a history of mental illness in your family
all prescription and over-the-counter medications you take, including supplements and herbs

It might feel uncomfortable, but try to tell your doctor everything. This will help them give you a more accurate diagnosis and refer you to the right type of mental health professional.

Worried about the cost of mental health services? Here are five ways to access therapy for every budget.

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Key Points About Depression

Depression is a serious mood disorder that affects your whole body including your mood and thoughts.
Its caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain. Some types of depression seem to run in families.
Depression causes ongoing, extreme feelings of sadness, helplessness, hopeless, and irritability. These feelings are usually a noticeable change from whats normal for you, and they last for more than two weeks.
Depression may be diagnosed after a careful psychiatric exam and medical history done by a mental health professional.
Depression is most often treated with medicine or therapy, or a combination of both.

Managing Symptoms: Staying Healthy

Being healthy is important for all children, and can be especially important for children with depression or anxiety. In addition to getting the right treatment, leading a healthy lifestyle can play a role in managing symptoms of depression or anxiety. Here are some healthy behaviors that may help:

Having a healthy eating plan centered on fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes , lean protein sources, and nuts and seeds
Participating in physical activity each day based on age

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General Signs And Symptoms

Not everyone with depression will experience the same symptoms. Symptoms can vary in severity, how often they happen, and how long they last.

If you experience some of the following signs and of depression nearly every day for at least 2 weeks, you may be living with depression:

feeling sad, anxious, or empty
feeling hopeless, worthless, and pessimistic

The symptoms of depression can be experienced differently among males, females, teens, and children.

Males may experience symptoms related to their:

mood, such as anger, aggressiveness, irritability, anxiousness, or restlessness
emotional well-being, such as feeling empty, sad, or hopeless
behavior, such as loss of interest, no longer finding pleasure in favorite activities, feeling tired easily, thoughts of suicide, drinking excessively, using drugs, or engaging in high-risk activities
sexual interest, such as reduced sexual desire or lack of sexual performance
cognitive abilities, such as inability to concentrate, difficulty completing tasks, or delayed responses during conversations
sleep patterns, such as insomnia, restless sleep, excessive sleepiness, or not sleeping through the night
physical well-being, such as fatigue, pains, headache, or digestive problems

Females may experience symptoms related to their:

Children may experience

Common causes include:

You may successfully manage symptoms with one form of treatment, or you may find that a combination of treatments works best.

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.