Depression
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Depression is the most common
mental health problem
in the United States.
It can be hard to talk about it. This
newsletter will tell you about the symptoms of
depression. This will help you talk to your
doctor or therapist. This newsletter will tell
you about starting therapy or medicine for
depression. You might be starting one or
both of these treatments.
1. What Is Depression?
Depression is an illness. When you feel sad
and have gloomy or negative thoughts for a
long time, you might be depressed. These
thoughts make it hard to feel good about
yourself. You can have trouble with your
daily work. When you’re depressed, you
may have problems with your family, friends,
or coworkers.
There are different kinds of depression, but
they all have the same main symptoms. When
you talk to your doctor or therapist, tell him or
her how you’ve been feeling. Your doctor will
know what kind of depression you have.
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2. What Causes
Depression?
There are different causes for depression. Some
common causes are:
- Stressful events like the death of someone you
love, a divorce or problems at work. Everyone feels sad
when these things happen. Feeling sad for a long time
could be depression.
- Psychological problems. These are problems with
other people or upsetting situations. It can be hard to
talk to other people or to get close to them. You can
get depressed if you have trouble showing anger.
- Family members with depression. You can
inherit depression through your genes.
- Some medicines and medical problems.
The doctor will decide if any medical problems are
causing depression. Using or withdrawing from
alcohol or drugs can cause depression.
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3. How Do I Know If I’m Depressed?
People don’t feel
depression in the same way.
Some people have a lot of
very bad symptoms. Other
people have just a few
symptoms. We all feel sad
and have negative thoughts
sometimes. You might be
depressed if you feel sad
and have negative thoughts
almost all the time and
nothing seems to help you
feel better.
The words below describe some of the symptoms
of depression. You
can use these words to tell
your doctor or therapist
how you feel.
Some of the Symptoms of Depression
- Depressed mood. Depressed people feel very
sad and hopeless. They might feel like giving
up. They might cry a lot. They might feel
empty or have no feelings. Some people, especially
children and teenagers, become angry.
- Less interest or pleasure in activities. Many
depressed people don’t like the activities they
used to enjoy. They don’t want to be with other
people. They might lose interest in sex. They
might not take care of how they dress or look.
They might not keep themselves clean.
- Problems sleeping. Some depressed people
have trouble falling asleep. Other people can’t
sleep all through the night or wake up too early
in the morning. Some people sleep a lot.
- Feeling tired. Even with enough sleep, some
depressed people feel tired all the time. Because
they feel tired, they don’t have much energy.
- Feeling nervous or slowed-down. Some
people feel nervous or restless because of depression.
Other people slow down.
- Feeling guilty and useless. Depressed people
feel bad about themselves. They are critical of
themselves. They feel guilty for things that are
not their fault. They often feel useless.
- Problems with memory. Depressed people
often forget even simple things. They have
trouble concentrating on their work. It is hard
for them to make decisions.
- Weight change. Some people with depression
gain weight. Others lose weight.
- Suicidal thoughts, plans, or attempts.
Depressed people might think about killing
or hurting themselves. If you are thinking
about killing or hurting yourself, call your
doctor or therapist right away.
- Alcohol and drug use. Overusing alcohol or
drugs might be a symptom that a person is
depressed. Talk with your doctor or therapist
about your use of drugs and alcohol.
- Physical symptoms. Some people with
depression have physical symptoms.
Headaches, stomach pain and feeling
sick are common.
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4. How Can I Treat It?
Treatment works even if the cause of
depression isn’t known. Treatment is usually
medicine, talking therapy or both.
Starting treatment can mean trying something
new. This might be hard. You might be
anxious. This newsletter, and the next two
newsletters, will talk about concerns you
might have about treatment. You will learn
about medicine and therapy. Starting
treatment is the hardest part.
- Antidepressant Medication.
Depression is often treated with medicine. It
can take longer than you might think to start
working. Medicine only works if you take it just
as your doctor prescribes. Always take medicine
exactly as your doctor tells you to.
- Why Am I Taking This Medicine?
The doctor gives you medicine to help your
symptoms. If you were depressed in the past and
took medicine, the doctor considers how well it
worked. The doctor might give you the same
medicine or another one.
People do not respond the same way to
medicines. Medicine that works well for one
person might not work best for you.
Different medicines have different doses. If
you take a higher dose of medicine than
someone else, it doesn’t mean that you are
more depressed. Never share medicines with
another person.
- What About Side Effects?
It can take time to get used to taking
medicine. Your doctor will give you a low
dose of medicine at first. At the start, your
doctor might see you more often to see how
the treatment is working. The doctor might
change how much medicine you take after
you say how you feel. When you feel better,
your doctor probably won’t see you as often.
Medicines can make you feel things like a
dry mouth or even dizziness. You can have
problems with sex. These are called side
effects. Don’t stop taking your medicine.
Be patient. Some side effects will go away
after a little while.
- When Will I Feel Better?
It might take up to 6 weeks before you feel
better. Before you begin to feel better, you
might have side effects from the medicine.
Tell you doctor about any side effects.
Work together with your doctor to find
medicine to help you.
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5. What About Talking Therapy?
Beginning Psychotherapy
It doesn’t matter why you are depressed, talking therapy can help you
understand your feelings. It can help you change how you think and what you do.
Then you will have better control over your life. A psychiatrist, psychologist or
other therapist will provide therapy.
You might feel better as soon as you start talking about your problems and
symptoms. Or it might take a few weeks before you feel better. It can take longer
to change your feelings and relationships. It might take longer to feel better if you
have been depressed more than once in your life.
The most important part of your treatment is your relationship with your
therapist. It isn’t always easy to talk with your therapist. At first you might feel
nervous about being in therapy. Tell your therapist how you feel. Tell him or her
what parts of therapy are working for you. In the beginning, it is often helpful to
continue in weekly treatment.
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To download a pdf version of this newsletter, click here. (PDF, 212K)
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