It’s normal to experience periods of sadness, moodiness or days when you just don’t feel like getting out of bed. In most cases, you will only experience these symptoms for brief periods of time.
But if you have been experiencing these symptoms for longer than a couple of weeks, it may be time to get treatment for depression.
The diagnosis of depression depends on the specific symptoms you are experiencing and how long you have been experiencing them. However, if you are experiencing any of the following symptoms, it may be a sign that you should get some professional advice to determine if you need depression treatment.
Symptom 1: You Don’t Feel Like Doing Anything at All
Symptoms of depression include fatigue, lack of sleep, and a decreased interest and enjoyment in activities you previously enjoyed. If you are depressed, you likely won’t want to get out of bed to do anything, even spend time with the people you love the most. It will feel like an effort to do the simplest tasks and you will find yourself getting tired more quickly when you do decide to do something.
Symptom 2: Your Body Hurts
People with depression frequently experience headaches, stomachaches, and other bodily aches and pains. When there is no particular reason for experiencing these aches, such as poor nutrition, lack of exercise or an injury, they may be due to depression. Without some type of depression treatment, these symptoms are likely to persist and interfere with your normal functioning. If you suspect you are depressed, our treatment team urges you to resist the urge to self medicate with drugs or alcohol. Many of the women we treat for addiction also suffer from depression.
Symptom 3: You Feel Overly Emotional
If you are depressed, you may feel irritable, negative, apathetic, guilty, hopeless and dejected. The smallest incident may cause you to break down in tears or you may find yourself getting angry at things that never bothered you before. Depression can cause your emotions to intensify and leave you feeling out of control.
Symptom 4: You Have Suicidal Thoughts
People who have depression, especially severe depression, may consider ending their lives. If you have even passing thoughts of suicide or have made any suicide attempts, it is important to get professional depression treatment as soon as possible. If you are experiencing suicidal thoughts, call 911 immediately to speak with an intake coordinator who can help connect you with a resource that will lend a caring ear and can help you stabilize your mood.
Where to Get Treatment for Depression
If you are experiencing any of the above symptoms, you may have depression or another mood disorder. Mood disorders such as depression are treatable, as long as you find the treatment that works for you. Once you have been diagnosed with depression, research the options for treating your depression, which may include therapy or spending time at a residential treatment center that specializes in mood disorders.
Depression treatment will include individual therapy to help you work through any issues that are causing you to feel depressed. It may also involve anti-depressants to help you regulate your emotions and decrease other symptoms of your depression, as well as mood stabilizers.
Effective depression treatment can help you end the symptoms of depression while helping you learn better ways to cope with life’s stressors so that depression is not likely to set in again.