Depression

“I’m just having a bad day!”

You know those days when things don’t seem to go right. Someone cut you off on your way to work, your boss tells you he needs a project done by noon and your inbox is flooded with emails. Everyone can relate to having a “bad day.”

But what if one “bad day” turns into one “bad week” and then turns into a “bad month” or even a “bad year”?

What seems like a “bad day” may turn out to be something more serious: depression. For many, unfamiliar with depression, it could seem like overkill to say a bad two or three weeks is depression related. The truth is that there are varying degrees of depression, with varying degrees of treatment.

Yes, It is Possible that You Are Suffering from Clinical Depression

When it comes to depression, the first thing you need to do is to be honest with yourself about how you feel. It’s easy to suppress emotions and try to continue living your life as if nothing is wrong. The unfortunate truth is there will come a time when you reach a breaking point. Since your problem is medically related, you will no longer be able to function as you have been accustomed. It’s usually at that point when you realize that you need help.

The biggest challenge with depression is realizing that you have it. If you don’t watch for the symptoms you may not even know you have it and that can be just as dangerous. What are the symptoms of depression and how can you know if you have it? Here are a few symptoms to be on the lookout for.

• You are constantly angry
• You drink as a way to unwind at the end of the day
• You have trouble sleeping
• You wake up during early morning hours
• You struggle to focus throughout the day
• You have a feeling of “I don’t want to be here” or “I don’t want to go to work”
• You are not paying attention to simple things like watching TV because you’re not really “there”
• You eat too much
• You have a lack of appetite

Everyone has days when they’re not in a good mood, but when it lasts for weeks that is a very good sign that you may be struggling with depression.

Depression can be a tough subject to talk about, but it’s when you bring up the topic with your doctor and share what you’re experiencing that you can learn the truth about what is really going on inside your body.

As part of our comprehensive physical at Warner Family Practice, we conduct a questionnaire with each of our patients that provide insight on whether a patient may be dealing with depression. Our findings have allowed us to inform patients of the potential for depression to impact their health; our patients have been able to seek treatment before the condition becomes a serious problem.

Treatment can come with a self-applied stigma that simply isn’t true. Patients who take antidepressant medication report that their medication does not alter who they are, it simply allows for them to be a truer version of who they are.

According to the Anxiety Disorders Association of America, 14.8 million people over the age of 18 are affected by depression every day. That is roughly 6.7% of the US population. If you feel you may be suffering with depression, you are definitely not alone.