When you suffer from symptoms of depression it is can be easy to dismiss what is happening as temporary or just a minor setback. Some people might be afraid to seek help due to anxiety in acknowledging that there may be a problem. Others may fear stigma of what their family or friends may think or even perceive depression as some sort of weakness. Still others may worry that they do not have the time or money to devote to therapy or they may be afraid that a doctor will push medications on them that they do not want. For whatever reason, some people who suffer from depression will not get help or treatment because they feel it is a risk to do so. But here’s the thing. In many circumstances it is more of a risk to not get help.
In honor of Mental Health Awareness month I am going to help you identify those factors which make it essential that you do not wait any longer to seek treatment for your depression.
It is time to get help for your depression when…
1. When you have been experiencing symptoms of depression that just won’t go away for two weeks or more. One of the DSM criteria for Major Depressive Disorder is that the duration is for two weeks or more, but many people wait to get help only after their symptoms go on for months. By then, depression symptoms are more entrenched and recovery takes that much longer.
2. When you have other people in your care. If you are taking care of children or an elderly or disabled parent, you need to take care of yourself especially if you have other people who depend upon you. Your mental health and well being greatly affects others. If you are a caretaker who suffers from depression please get help early on so that you can continue to give to those who need you the most.
3. When your depression is beginning to affect your work. If you are starting to miss days of work, calling in sick and arriving late due to your depression then it is time to think about getting some help. If you find yourself unable to perform the demands of your job because the symptoms of your depression make you unable, it is time to seek treatment. The last thing you want is to lose your job as this event will surely cause you to be even more depressed and less likely to get the treatment you need.
4. When your depression affects your physical health. Some of the symptoms of depression can include weight gain or loss and difficulties sleeping. Depression can also make you feel extremely weary and fatigued. These bodily symptoms combined with stress can lower your immune system to the point where you are getting ill much more frequently and subsequently increasing your feelings of sadness and hopelessness. Don’t let your body take the toll for your mood. Get some help for your depression so that you can feel mentally and physically well.
5. When you no longer enjoy things you used to enjoy. Maybe you are a person who loves movies, music, and dancing. But this past month or so, you have no interest in these activities and that you used to love. And even when you do engage in your favorite activities and hobbies, they don’t give you pleasure like they used to. This is a strong sign that your depression is robbing you of your zest for life. Don’t let depression do this to you. Get some help so that you can return to enjoying life again.
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Many people think of Depression as a psycological disorder. I'm glad that this list included Physical health and the correlation between a consistently very low mood and its toll on our Physical Health. Depression can play havoc with the health of our heart, out BP, the dreadful fatigue experienced during a bad Clinical depression and subsequent days in bed has its obvious side effects too. There are many things in the body that dont work, the intestines for instance, the immunity going down leaves us open to infections, flu s, also Heart Disease, Stroke and Cancer. This is why we must educate the public on this awful blight called Depression and have it graded like any other disorder. End the Stigma for once and for all via Education and an encouragement to come out of the closet and say if youre hardly getting through days with consistent low mood etc.,
Thanks Rosemarie!
Yes absolutely...depression is extremely hard on the body. The mood/body connection is so strong. And if you are depressed and have an illness...you can't properly heal or recover very well...due to the depression. It is a very bad cycle.
And yes...let's end the stigma by talking about this. There is no shame in suffering from depression.
Glad you are here...are you doing okay today?
Thanks for asking Merely Me, I have to be truthful and say, its a pretty deep Clincial depression. I dont want it, theres no payback, see Im already on the defensive about an illness thats plagued me all my life, I still feel I must justify feeling so dreadfully low and exausted and without hope, yet if I had a heart condition, id have no such qualms about talking about it. I see the shrink again next Thursday so hopefully It wont go on for ever. I am exausted from it.
Take care MM. and yes, lets get this Stigma lifted on a very very painful and very misunderstood cluster of emotions within the mind that also effect the body and kill [via suicide] many people each year.
I have suffered from depression since I was in my teens and am now a 40 year old woman. I have learned to accept the fact that it is an illness like many others and that the stigma should be left at the door and ignored by many. Unfortunately, I have been suffering from severe back problems since July of 2010. I have had 2 back surgeries and am now looking at a third. This has caused a major decrease in my quality of life and has really tested my ability to deal with the depression on a daily basis. I have had to take pain medication each day and am terrified of becoming addicted. My biggest problem is that my primary care doctor knows what I have been going through and in a serious bout of depression, begged for help and assistance and no one has returned my phone calls...not the nurse or the doctor. This adds to the depression and the plans to bring an abrupt end to the pain. Do the professionals not understand that some health issues require you to address them immediately and that there is a seriousness to them.