Depression
Are you, or someone you care for, feeling hopeless? Are you losing interest in things you once loved, feeling low in energy, or focused on negative self-talk? These feelings tend to come around for all of us, but when they take over your mind, it might be time for a professional evaluation with a psychotherapist. If you’re experiencing depression, research shows that prompt depression treatment is important.
Symptoms
People with depression may experience a variety of symptoms, but most commonly seen is a deep feeling of sadness or a marked loss of interest and pleasure in activities (The American Psychiatric Association). Other symptoms may include:
- Irritability, agitation or restlessness
- Lower sex drive
- Inability to focus
- Insomnia or excessive sleeping
- Change in appetite, eating too much or too little
- Chronic fatigue and lethargy
- Unexplainable crying spells
- Unexplainable physical symptoms such as headaches or body aches
- Feeling hopeless and worthless
- Withdrawal from social situations and normal activities
- Thoughts of death or suicide
When to seek help
If you are feeling depressed, it’s important that you know you’re not alone. Depression, even in the most severe cases, can be treated. The earlier that depression treatment begins, the more effective it can be.
Studies have confirmed that both psychotherapy and medication are successful in treating depression. Each situation is assessed individually, and the treatment or combination of treatments best suited are implemented. Clients who seek a psychotherapist often begin to experience relief from depression within weeks of seeking depression treatment.
When to get emergency help
If you think you may hurt yourself or attempt suicide, call 911 or your local emergency number immediately.
Also consider these options if you’re having suicidal thoughts:
- Call your doctor or mental health professional.
- Call a suicide hotline number — in the U.S., call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (1-800-273-8255). Use that same number and press “1” to reach the Veterans Crisis Line.
- Reach out to a close friend or loved one.
- Contact a minister, spiritual leader or someone else in your faith community.
Causes
Because no one has come up with a definitive answer as to what actually causes depression, depression treatment continues to be debated. Scientists have learned quite a bit about the biological and psychological factors in the past decade, including what increases an individual’s chance of being affected by depression.
Some of the life stresses that are associated with depression include:
- Life-changing events
- Long-term stress
- A history of trauma or abuse
- Seasonal factors
Prevention
There’s no sure way to prevent depression. However, these strategies may help.
- Take steps to control stress, increase your resilience, and boost your self-esteem.
- Reach out to family and friends, especially in times of crisis, to help you weather rough spells.
- Get treatment at the earliest sign of a problem to help prevent depression from worsening.
- Consider getting long-term maintenance treatment to help prevent a relapse of symptoms.
[mayoclinic.org, Mayo Clinic staff, November 2018]