What Are The Treatments For Depression
Many helpful treatments for depression are available. Treatment for depression can help reduce symptoms and shorten how long the depression lasts. Treatment can include getting therapy and/or taking medications. Your doctor or a qualified mental health professional can help you determine what treatment is best for you.
- Therapy. Many people benefit from psychotherapyalso called therapy or counseling.7,8 Most therapy lasts for a short time and focuses on thoughts feelings and issues that are happening in your life now. In some cases understanding your past can help but finding ways to address what is happening in your life now can help you cope and prepare you for challenges in the future.With therapy, youll work with your therapist to learn skills to help you cope with life, change behaviors that are causing problems and find solutions. Do not feel shy or embarrassed about talking openly and honestly about your feelings and concerns. This is an important part of getting better.Some common goals of therapy include:
- Getting healthier
- Making sense of past painful events
- Identifying things that worsen your depression
- Having better relationships with family and friends
- Understanding why something bothers you and creating a plan to deal with it
Finding The Right Resources To Answer Your Questions And Meet Your Complex Needs
Just as anxiety and depression tend to be worse when occurring together, treatment of these disorders is most effective when both conditions are addressed at the same time.1
Hartgrove Behavioral Health System provides integrated care that treats these and other mental health issues simultaneously. As part of our comprehensive care, medical specialists and therapists work together to help bring healing and balance in our patients lives a feeling of being in charge of their inner self again.
You’re Sleeping Too Much Or Too Little
Some people with depression find themselves snoozing under the covers more the disengagement and dip in energy make you tired all the time, says Thomas. “Sleeping more is also a way depressed people escape from their sadness it becomes a refuge,” she adds. Others with depression experience restless or interrupted sleep or even insomniathey’re too wired by obsessive thoughts or ruminations to wind down and score the seven to eight hours per night most adults need. Thing is, not only can sleep changes be a tipoff to the disease, but they also make it worse. When you’re not getting the proper amount of shuteye, your body’s internal clock gets out of sync, and you’re even more tired and unfocused…and less able to cope.
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Rule Out Other Conditions
If you identify with the symptoms of depression, your next step should be a visit to your family doctor or general practitioner for a thorough exam and screening. Your provider will ask you about your health history and risk factors and may use written questionnaires to assess your symptoms.
Your family doctor or general practitioner will also want to rule out several medical conditions that can contribute to symptoms of depression, such as vitamin and mineral deficiencies, female hormonal changes, and thyroid conditions. In addition, several medications may have depressive symptoms as a side effect.
If your general practitioner doesn’t find any of these factors as a cause of your depression, they may prescribe an antidepressant or refer you to a mental health professional, such as a psychiatrist, psychologist, or counselor.
In 2017, an estimated 17.3 million adults in the United States experienced at least one episode of severe depression, or 7.1% of all adults. For adolescents between the ages of 12 and 17 years old, the percentage is even higher, with an estimated 3.2 million adolescents in the U.S. experiencing at least one major depressive episode in a year.
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.
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Depression Treatment Designed With Your Needs In Mind
At the AdventHealth Neuroscience Institute, we treat mental health conditions like depression with whole-person care. Our compassionate team of mental health professionals not only treat your symptoms but help you feel whole, physically, mentally and spiritually.
To help you overcome depression, our team can help you choose a treatment that works, like deep brain stimulation, talk therapy, a neuropsychiatric approach or medication management with innovative medications like SPRAVATOTM.
Learn more about our mental health care for depression or reach out to us to get started.
Should You See A Psychiatrist Or A Psychologist
If the symptoms of stress, depression, anxiety and fatigue are seriously impacting your performance and well-being, its time to seek professional help. But how do you decide who to see, a psychiatrist of a psychologist?
This article describes the difference between the two, and provides some suggestions for choosing the right specialist for your condition.
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What Should You Not Tell Your Doctor
Here is a list of items that can stop being said by patients. Something which is not 100% honest. Loud, hostile, or sarcastic, something condescending. When we are off-the-clock, something relevant to your health care.
Complaining about other clinicians and everything else is an immense overreaction.
What Are The Signs And Symptoms Of Depression
Common symptoms of depression include:
- Persistent sad, anxious, or empty mood
- Feelings of hopelessness or pessimism
- Feelings of irritability, frustration or restlessness
- Feelings of guilt, worthlessness, or helplessness
- Loss of interest or pleasure in hobbies or activities
- Difficulty concentrating, remembering, or making decisions
- Difficulty sleeping, early morning awakening, or oversleeping
- Changes in appetite or unplanned weight changes
- Aches or pains, headaches, cramps, or digestive problems without a clear physical cause and that do not ease even with treatment
- Suicide attempts or thoughts of death or suicide
If you or someone you know is in immediate distress or is thinking about hurting themselves, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline toll-free at 1-800-273-TALK . You also can text the Crisis Text Line or use the Lifeline Chat on the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline website.
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What Is Psychotherapy What Kind Of Psychotherapy Should I Get
Psychologists help patients with mental disorders to increase their sense of well-being by employing various forms of psychotherapy.
In general, psychotherapy involves the patient and the therapist gradually forming a trusting relationship, so that the patient can feel comfortable talking freely about his thoughts and feelings.
The goal of therapy is to help a person to better understand his thoughts, feelings, and behaviors, with the goal of resolving problems that are interfering with his ability to live a healthy life.
There are a number of different kinds of therapy, and it isnt possible to single out one type as the best. One popular type of psychotherapy is called cognitive-behavioral therapy.
CBT helps a person to become more aware of his thoughts and behaviors and how they influence each other to cause some of the symptoms of mental disorders. It is considered an effective therapy for depression, anxiety, and other mental disorders.
Depression can cause negative thinking, low self esteem, and make it hard to accomplish even basic tasks. Not being able to accomplish tasks can cause further negative thinking and feelings, and so on it goes, causing a person to spiral lower and lower.
CBT trains you to break that cycle and substitute more positive ways of thinking, which will affect how you act. How you act affects how you feel about yourself, thus creating a positive spiral.
What Will My Doctor Do For Me
You might not feel comfortable talking to your doctor about any mental or emotional problems you are having. But your doctor can help you. He or she can:
- Ask you questions about your thoughts and feelings that might help you better understand what you are going through.
- Give you reassurance that you arent crazy but have a medical problem.
- Tell you what kinds of support are available, such as counseling.
- Offer you medicine, if its appropriate.
- Recommend lifestyle changes that can help improve your mental health, such as exercise.
- Refer you to a specialist, if they think that would be more helpful.
- See you at follow-up appointments to monitor how you are doing and how you are responding to treatment.
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You’re Eating More Than Usual
Depression leaves you withdrawn and checked out, and that can manifest as a loss of appetite. “If your brain is preoccupied with negative thoughts, you may forget to eat or lose interest in cooking or preparing meals,” says Yvonne Thomas, PhD, Los Angeles-based psychologist specializing in depression and self-esteem. On the other hand, sometimes the disease kicks in the opposite effect, making you hungry and driving you to overeat. “The mix of emotions that tend to accompany depressionsadness, pessimism about the future, and low self-esteemcan compel you to try to soothe your feelings with food binges,” says Thomas.
How To Help Someone You Love
If you notice that someone you love might be struggling with anxiety and depression, don’t try to solve their problems. Instead, just listen.
“You can feel helpless, like you’re watching from a window,” McKernan says of trying to help a loved one. “Our urge is to jump in and to try really hard … to fix it, to try and put a positive spin on whatever’s going on, to help the person feel better.”
What is more helpful, Marques says, is just to be present. Sit with them, ask open-ended questions, and listen. Invite them to do something with you that could also be good for them, like taking a 10 minute walk. Ask if they’d like help finding a therapist, or offer to go with them.
“When we say to somebody who’s really struggling, ‘What can I do?’ That’s often met with silence,” McKernan says. “If someone’s really anxious or depressed, they might be overwhelmed by the idea of change, or not have any idea how to help themselves.”
You can also offer to share resources, such as:
- You or they can text STRENGTH to Crisis Text Line at 741741 to be connected with a counselor.
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Does Depression Look The Same In Everyone
Depression can affect people differently, depending on their age.
Children with depression may be anxious, cranky, pretend to be sick, refuse to go to school, cling to a parent, or worry that a parent may die.
Older children and teens with depression may get into trouble at school, sulk, be easily frustrated feel restless, or have low self-esteem. They also may have other disorders, such as anxiety and eating disorders, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, or substance use disorder. Older children and teens are more likely to experience excessive sleepiness and increased appetite . In adolescence, females begin to experience depression more often than males, likely due to the biological, life cycle, and hormonal factors unique to women.
Younger adults with depression are more likely to be irritable, complain of weight gain and hypersomnia, and have a negative view of life and the future. They often have other disorders, such as generalized anxiety disorder, social phobia, panic disorder, and substance use disorders.
Middle-aged adults with depression may have more depressive episodes, decreased libido, middle-of-the-night insomnia, or early morning awakening. They also may more frequently report having gastrointestinal symptoms such as diarrhea or constipation.
What Might The Outcome Of My Appointment Be
The outcome of your appointment will usually depend on:
- what you say
- what your doctor thinks might help
- what kind of support you would like.
For example, your doctor might suggest one or more of the following options:
- Monitoring your doctor might ask you to come back for another appointment before offering any treatment.
- Diagnosis your doctor might give you a diagnosis, for example of depression or anxiety. This doesn’t always happen after your first appointment and may only be possible after monitoring you over time or referring you to a specialist.
- Lifestyle changes your doctor may suggest that making small changes to your exercise, eating and sleep habits may help you to manage your symptoms.
- Referral your doctor could refer you to another service, such as talking therapies .
- Self-referral your doctor could give you details of a service you can contact yourself, for example psychological wellbeing services or a community mental health team .
- Medication your doctor might offer to prescribe you psychiatric medication. If they do this they should should clearly explain what it’s for and explain any possible risks and benefits, so you can make an informed choice about whether or not you want to take it.
If you drive, you might have to tell the Driver and Vehicle Licencing Agency if you’re diagnosed with a mental health problem.
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Do You Have Anxiety Or Depression
And do you know the key differences between anxiety and depression? Many experts actually view ‘mixed anxiety and depressive disorder’ as a separate category in itself. This is where someone may have symptoms of both conditions, but not severe enough to have a formal diagnosis.
They also frequently have co-morbid anxiety, eating disorders, or substance abuse. In older adults depression may manifest more subtly as they tend to be This type of depression is called Seasonal affective disorder . People with SAD suffer the symptoms of a Major Depressive Disorder only.
Depression and anxiety have some distinct features, and some that overlap and it’s actually possible for someone to experience depression and Some experts view ‘mixed anxiety and depressive disorder’ as a separate category in itself. This is where someone may have symptoms of both.
In many instances, social anxiety causes depression. If you have social anxiety.
Think about how you feel after social interactions. Do you feel good about yourself or bad about yourself?
Comparing anxiety vs depression can help you identify if the symptoms you’re experiencing are due to one or the other. While both conditions have similarities, they have their own causes and symptoms. Understanding the differences between the two can help you get appropriate treatment.
Ask Why They Recommend A Specific Medication And If Other Options Are Available
Some doctors may have a specific medication they start most of their anxiety patients on because they feel it has the highest effectiveness with the fewest side effects.
Other doctors may take a variety of factors into consideration before recommending a specific medication.
Always ask your doctor why they recommend the medication they did and if other options might be more appropriate for you.
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How To Tell If You Have Depression
Depression affects people in different ways and can cause a wide variety of symptoms.
They range from lasting feelings of unhappiness and hopelessness, to losing interest in the things you used to enjoy and feeling very tearful. Many people with depression also have symptoms of anxiety.
There can be physical symptoms too, such as feeling constantly tired, sleeping badly, having no appetite or sex drive, and various aches and pains.
The symptoms of depression range from mild to severe. At its mildest, you may simply feel persistently low in spirit, while severe depression can make you feel suicidal, that life is no longer worth living.
Most people experience feelings of stress, anxiety or low mood during difficult times. A low mood may improve after a short period of time, rather than being a sign of depression.
You’re Dealing With Unexplained Aches And Pains
“Emotional pain from depression that you aren’t getting help for can be channeled throughout your body and show up as physical ailments, like headaches, stomach problems, neck and back pain, even nausea,” says Thomas. “I see this with many of my patients they’re holding so much sadness and distress inside, these feelings end up playing out in other ways.” Not every cramp or twinge is a symptom of depression, of course. But if you’re suffering from a chronic ailment you can’t attribute to another cause that isn’t clearing up on its own, “see a doctor to get it checked out, but also consider it a possible sign of depression too,” says Thomas.
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You Feel Sad Empty Or Hopeless Most Of The Time
Your emotional life changes significantly when you have depression. Typical symptoms include the inability to anticipate happiness or pleasure, and an overarching feeling of emptiness.
However, irritability or increased anger can also be signs of depression. Your self-esteem might be low, too, with feelings of worthlessness or misplaced guilt creeping into your everyday life.
Who Gets Depression
In general about 1 out of every 6 adults will have depression at some time in their life.3 Depression affects about 16 million American adults every year.4 Anyone can get depressed, and depression can happen at any age and in any type of person.
Many people who experience depression also have other mental health conditions.1,5 Anxiety disorders often go hand in hand with depression. People who have anxiety disorders struggle with intense and uncontrollable feelings of anxiety, fear, worry, and/or panic.1 These feelings can interfere with daily activities and may last for a long time.
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Rebecca M., age 57, struggled with depression and had a few wake-up calls as a smoker. She felt depressed and smoked cigarettes to help her cope with her feelings. The more Rebecca smoked, the harder it seemed to quit. Rebecca finally quit smoking after getting care for her depression and realizing that she had to take care of her own health. She now leads a new, smokefree life.
I quit smoking and I got care for my depression.
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