Depression

What is depression?

Depression is a mental illness that causes feelings of sadness, irritability, despair, self-doubt, loss of pleasure, and a distorted and negative sense of self.

While depression is often triggered by things such as feelings of helplessness, the loss of a loved one, or loss of a sense of bodily integrity due to injury or illness, your brain chemistry significantly contributes to your risk of developing depression. Other risk factors for depression include a history of violence, neglect, and poverty, as well as your family medical history.

Depressive symptoms are associated with medical illnesses such as endocrine disease, hypothyroidism, irritable bowel syndrome, or cardiac illness.

What are the common symptoms of depression?

Depression causes a range of emotional and physical symptoms, including:

• Feeling blue or down
• An inability to experience pleasure
• Hopelessness
• Helplessness
• Guilt
• Self-loathing
• A feeling of emptiness or that life has no meaning
• Changes in appetite
• Sleeping too much or too little
• Extreme fatigue
• Loss of sex drive
• Concentration problems
• Indecision
• Social withdrawal
• Losing interest in usual activities
• Suicidal thoughts or preoccupation with death

If you have suicidal thoughts, go to your nearest emergency room or call 911 for immediate assistance.

What are the different types of depression?

Depression manifests in several different ways. For example, major depressive disorder occurs when you have five or more depression symptoms for two weeks or more. Persistent depressive disorder occurs when symptoms last for more than two years but in a less severe form.

Other forms of depression include seasonal affective disorder (SAD) and bipolar depression. Another widespread type of depression is postpartum depression, which occurs when mothers of newborns experience symptoms that are more severe than the normal “baby blues.”

How is depression treated?

Your provider begins your treatment with a comprehensive consultation. Reaching a correct diagnosis and treatment plan usually takes a few sessions. During these sessions, your provider collects a detailed history of your problems and symptoms, as well as your family and medical history. Then, you work together to formulate an individualized treatment plan to bring your depressive symptoms into remission.

While your treatment plan is customized to address your specific needs, the programs often combine medication and psychotherapy. Your provider chooses your particular type of psychotherapy, medicine, and other interventions following careful consultation.

Your provider discusses your treatment options with you in detail. For example, if medication is required, you have a detailed discussion of how it works and any potential side effects. Moreover, the providers at Plymouth Psych Group are advocates of exercise and mindfulness-based practices for patients with significant depressive symptoms.

If you think that you may need therapy, but aren’t sure where to begin, call Plymouth Psych Group, or schedule your initial consultation online today.

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