Depression

What Is Depression?

Depression is something all of us will likely face at one point in our life. It’s a normal response to loss and struggling with life’s challenges. But when intense sadness, feeling helpless, or hopelessness lasts for periods of days to weeks, these feelings can prevent you from living your life. If you can sense something more serious than typical sadness, you could have clinical depression.

Is Depression Curable?

There’s no single cure for depression. That being said, there is a comprehensive range of therapeutic techniques and management strategies that can help you overcome depression and manage severe symptoms more effectively.

Depression Symptoms

In order to be officially diagnosed with depression, you need to exhibit five or more of these symptoms for a period of at least 2 weeks:

• Depressed for most of the day
• lack of energy most days
• Feeling worthless or guilty most days
• Frequently hopeless or pessimistic
• Have a hard time focusing, remembering, and making decisions
• Under or oversleeping most days
• No interest or pleasure in many activities you typical enjoy
• Thoughts about death or suicide
• You feel restless or weighed down
• Abnormal weight loss or gain

You may also:

• Have aches, pains, cramps, or digestive issues that don’t go away or get better with treatment
• Have sad, anxious, or “empty” feelings

While these symptoms are common, the symptoms you experience may be unique to you. Their severity, frequency, and duration can vary from person to person

Depression Causes

There is no singular cause of depression. Rather, it may be a combination of things, including brain structure, brain chemistry, hormones, and genetics.

Types of Depression

There are a few types of depressive disorders that doctors can diagnose, including:

• Major depression
• Persistent depressive disorder – depression lasting for at least 2 years
• Disruptive mood dysregulation disorder – when children and teens get angry and often have intense outbursts
• Premenstrual dysphoric disorder – when a woman has severe mood swings before her period, more intense than premenstrual syndrome (PMS)
• Depressive disorders caused by coexisting medical conditions
• Minor depression

Getting Treated For Depression

It is best to consult with a medical professional to receive an accurate diagnosis of depression, as well as which type of depression you may be experiencing. With that information, a specialized treatment plan can be created that is designed to help you in the most efficient way possible.

Depression Management Services Offered in New York

If you have questions about the depression management services offered at MiDoctor, call our office to speak with a member of our team or schedule a consultation online today!