by Cary Quashen C.A.S
Imagine being depressed, so severely depressed you couldn’t live a normal life and carry out your day-to-day activities. People use to think it was “all in your head” and that if you really tried you could “snap out of it” or just “get over it.” We now know that depression is more than a weakness, and it’s not something you can treat on your own. Depression affects your thoughts, moods, feelings, behavior, and even your physical health. The worst thing we can say to someone is “get over it.”
Depression is more than grieving or a bout of the blues. Depression is a serious medical illness with a biological and chemical basis, that can take a terrible toll on individuals and families. Untreated, depression can lead to a downward spiral of disability, dependency, and suicide. Sometimes a stressful life event triggers depression. Other times depression seems to occur spontaneously with no identifiable specific cause. There are several types of depression ranging from major depression, seasonal depression, psychotic depression and postpartum depression.
Over 18.8 million people in the United States suffer from depression. Depression may occur only once in a person’s life. However, it often occurs repeatedly over one’s lifetime, with periods free of depression in between. For many it may even be a chronic condition, requiring ongoing treatment over a lifetime.
Signs and symptoms of depression include:
Sadness
Loss of enjoyment from things that were once
pleasurable
Loss of energy
Feelings of hopelessness or worthlessness
Difficulty concentrating
Difficulty making decisions
Insomnia or excessive sleep
Stomachache and digestive problems
Sexual problems (for example, decreased sex
drive)
Aches and pains (such as recurrent headaches)
A change in appetite causing weight loss or
gain
Thoughts of death, suicide, or self-mutilation
Self-mutilation or attempting suicide
Suicide
Suicide is often a result of a major depressive episode. If you or someone you know is demonstrating any of the following warning signs, contact a mental health professional right away or go to the emergency room for treatment.
Thoughts or talk of death or suicide like “if
I weren’t around” or “the
world would be better off with out me”
“if I were never born”
Thoughts or talk of self-harm or harm to others
Aggressive behavior or impulsiveness
Giving personal items away, writing dark poetry
Most people who are suicidal or attempt suicide
don’t really want to die, they just don’t
want to feel the hurt and the pain any more.
However, previous suicide attempts increase
the risk for future suicide attempts and completed
suicide. All mentions of suicide or violence
must be taken seriously. If you or someone you
know intends or has a plan to commit suicide,
going to the emergency room for immediate treatment
is imperative. Suicide is permanent solution
to a temporary problem.
How Do I Get Help for Depression?
If you or someone you know is experiencing symptoms of depression, seek your health care provider's advice for treatment or referral to a mental health professional.
Henry Mayo Newhall Memorial Hospital treats mental health patients 18 years of age and older in a modern 23-bed facility. Emergency crisis intervention is also available via the Emergency Room of Henry Mayo Newhall Memorial Hospital. To learn more about mental health issues and depression one may contact the National Mental Health Association (NMHA) at (800) 969-6642, the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI) at (800) 950-6264, or the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance at (800) 826-3632.
There is no shame in asking for help if you suspect you or someone you love suffers from depression. Seeking help is a sign of strength, not a weakness. We need to take care of our mental health just as much as our physical health. You owe it yourself and those you love.
Cary Quashen is the executive director of Henry
Mayo Newhall Memorial Hospital’s Behavioral
Health Unit.
