- What are the Common Symptoms?
- Loss of interest or pleasure in activities you once enjoyed
- Sadness, or an “empty” feeling, or appearing sad or tearful to others
- Significant weight loss, without dieting, and a loss of appetite. Significant weight gain
- Trouble sleeping or sleeping too much
- Irritability or feelings of “dragging”
- Fatigue or loss of energy
- Feelings of worthlessness or inappropriate guilt
- Difficulty concentrating, or indecisiveness
- Recurrent thoughts of death
Everyone gets the blues, or feelings of sadness, especially if they have gone thru a recent difficult time. Most of the time you know you will bounce back, and you do. But, what if you don’t bounce back? This is known as clinical depression. Almost 18.8 million American adults experience depression each year, and women are nearly twice as likely as men to develop major depression. Treatment with counseling, medication, or both is key to recovery.
When should you get help?
If you have 5 or more of these symptoms, for more than 2 weeks, it is time to get help. Your primary care doctor is the place to start. They can screen you then help you manage your symptoms.
In a recent news feed I read a quote from Prince William regarding Mental Health. I quote,” We will use our national game to spread the message that mental health isn’t a sad, difficult topic,” Prince William says in the video clip, “ It is just part of everyday life”. This is a very important message.
This is just a short article regarding depression. It happens to all of us at one or another in different stages. It is nothing to be ashamed of, just one of life’s struggles. To further your knowledge on this topic I have included a another website to read:
https://www.psycom.net/depression.central.women.html
