
Let’s start with the basics:
What is depression and how do I know if I (or my loved one) has it?
“I’m depressed” is a common phrase that’s often thrown around. Everyone experiences periods of sadness, and sadness is often a normal response to many of life’s trying times.
Depression, however, is a medical illness that requires medical attention.
Data from SAHHSA shows that in 2017 approximately 17 million adults and 3.2 million adolescents experienced at least one major depressive episode.
Nearly 20%, or 44 million Americans have experienced some form of mental illness in a given year.
If you are concerned that you, your family member, or your friend may have depression, you can read about it from now until forever online, but the bottom line is this:
Get medical help today.
Talk to a doctor, and that doctor probably can and should be your primary care doctor first.
If your friend or family member is struggling, YOU can go to your doctor to talk to them and get advice on how to help them, even if they don’t think they need help.
Go in person, talk to someone online, but reach out and get support.
What’s the worst that can happen? You talk to your doctor and they tell you that the symptoms you are experiencing are normal. Things could be worse than that!
Sometimes it’s really obvious that a person has severe depression, but more often than that the signs are subtle and easily missed. We rationalize- saying things like “of course they’re depressed, they just lost their job/broke up with their partner, have a lot of stress from school”
With depression, symptoms can be mild or severe, emotional or physical, short lived or long-standing.
If you have doubts in your mind, then you are probably onto something and should get help.
What else can you do besides going to get help?
Here are some ideas:
Reach out and clearly express to your loved one that you are here to help
Treat them with respect and help remove the stigma
Refuse to define them by their diagnosis or think of them as “crazy”
Learn and share the facts.
SO WHAT’S FACT AND WHAT’S FICTION ANYWAY??
THE FACTS: People who experience depression can have both emotional and physical symptoms.
Emotional symptoms:
Constantly feeling sad or crying all the time
Thoughts that you can’t control or difficulty concentrating/thinking straight
Feeling guilty or worthless
Feeling more irritable or anxious than usual
Thoughts of hurting yourself or other people
Loss of enjoyment in things you used to do
Physical symptoms:
Trouble with eating/appetite and sleep — both too much or too little
Headaches and muscle aches
Fatigue or loss of energy
Stomach pain
THE FICTION
-Mental health issues are rare.
False! See our numbers above. They are common, important, and nothing to be embarrassed about.
-Kids don’t experience mental health problems
False! Half of all mental health disorders first show signs before age 14
-Personality weaknesses and character flaws cause mental illness. People can just “snap out of it”
False! Many factors can predispose someone to mental illness, including biological/genetic factors, life experiences including history of abuse, and family history of mental health problems
-”There’s nothing I can do do help”
False! Only 44% of adults and 20% of kids get the treatment they need. Friends and family can and should help.
Source: mentalhealth.gov
WHERE TO GO FOR HELP
In later articles, we will go into different types of treatment for depression, but for today we want to just help direct you to help.
Here are some resources:
Go to your Primary Care Provider. Treating patients for depression is what we in primary care call our “bread and butter” — one third of the patients we see every day have symptoms of depression, and we can prescribe medication and get you to a mental health specialist if you need one. If you need a new primary care doctor go to www.qwell.com for a recommendation of a trusted primary care doctor and book online today.
Already have a relationship with a therapist or Psychiatrist? Call them today and make an appointment.
Need a recommendation for a mental health specialist to see? Online resources include: www.qwell.com, Psychology Today, and Team Avo.
**Consumer’s alert: Many Psychiatrists do not take insurance, and if they list themselves as taking it, often it is only if you have Out-Of-Network benefits. Please ask about coverage so that you don’t get stuck with unexpected bills! That’s another good reason to start with your PCP :)
To read more about depression online, some trusted sites include:
Additional resources include free 24 hour hotlines: Here are the ones we recommend:
SAMHSA (Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration)
NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness)
Here’s to getting healthy and staying healthy with Qwell, starting with mental health.
Qwell. Your online medical home. Welcome home.
