Depression

Basic Facts About Clinical Depression:
Clinical depression is one of the most common mental illnesses, affecting more than 19 million Americans each year. This includes major depressive disorder, manic depression and dysthymia, a milder, longer-lasting form of depression.

Depression causes people to lose pleasure from daily life, can complicate other medical conditions, and can even be serious enough to lead to suicide.

Depression can occur to anyone, at any age, and to people of any race or ethnic group. Depression is never a "normal" part of life, no matter what your age, gender or health situation.

Unfortunately, though treatment for depression is almost always successful, fewer than half of those suffering from this illness seek treatment. Too many people resist treatment because they believe depression isn’t serious, that they can treat it themselves or that it is a personal weakness rather than a serious medical illness.

Symptoms of Clinical Depression:

• Persistent sad, anxious or "empty" mood
• Sleeping too much or too little, middle of the night or early morning waking
• Reduced appetite and weight loss, or increased appetite and weight gain
• Loss of pleasure and interest in activities once enjoyed, including sex
• Restlessness, irritability
• Persistent physical symptoms that do not respond to treatment (such as chronic pain or digestive disorders)
• Difficulty concentrating, remembering or making decisions
• Fatigue or loss of energy
• Feeling guilty, hopeless or worthless
• Thoughts of suicide or death
  

If you have five or more of these symptoms for two weeks or more, you could have clinical depression and should see your doctor or a qualified mental health professional for help.

Treatments for Clinical Depression:
Clinical depression is very treatable, with more than 80% of those who seek treatment showing improvement. The most commonly used treatments are antidepressant medication, psychotherapy or a combination of the two. The choice of treatment depends on the pattern, severity, persistence of depressive symptoms and the history of the illness. As with many illnesses, early treatment is more effective and helps prevent the likelihood of serious recurrences. Depression must be treated by a physician or qualified mental health professional.

The Sandwich Generation
Do you feel "sandwiched" in between caring for your aging parents and your children? You are not alone. Thousands of Americans face the same situation each day. Caring for an aging parent and raising a child are very stressful tasks when they are done separately, but what if you are doing both at the same time? Many times "sandwiched" caregivers do not pay enough attention to their own mental health. Here are some warning signs that you need to take better care of yourself.

• You cry frequently
• You have given up your hobbies
• You have given up your time with friends
• You become angry over small things
• You have gained or lost more than five pounds in the past few months without trying
• You are exhausted all the time
• You visit the doctor more frequently than before

If you are experiencing these symptoms and have been feeling persistently helpless or hopeless most every day for two weeks, you may be experiencing clinical depression. See your doctor for more information.

Take care of yourself! If you don’t take care of you, you can’t take care of anyone else. These tips can help you take better care of yourself.

1. Consider joining a support group.
2. Ask other people for help.
3. Take a break!
4. Rest and relax
5. Eat Well
6. Laugh
7. Exercise
8. Reward yourself for a job well done.

Call our Aging Services staff at 615-269-5355 for more information on "The Sandwich Generation" and caring for your aging parents.

For information on support groups for depression, click here.