Depression

What is the difference between sadness and depression?

Both sadness and depression can make you feel awful, so it can be challenging to know the difference.

Sadness is a response to loss, challenges, or disappointment. Although it feels pretty intense at the time, sadness is usually short-lived. When it fades, you’re able to resume living your life.

Depression often involves incredibly intense sadness and other symptoms, and it persists. It’s a mental illness requiring treatment, so it’s important to know what depression looks and feels like to get help when needed

What are the symptoms of depression?

The symptoms that you or someone you love could have depression include:

• Feeling worthless
• Feeling guilty
• Inability to focus
• Difficulty making decisions
• Losing interest in things you once enjoyed
• Insomnia or sleeping excessively
• Appetite and weight changes not related to diet and exercise
• Fidgeting and other pointless physical movements
• Slower speaking and movement
• Suicidal thoughts (suicidal ideation)

Everyone with depression experiences their own challenges. If you can’t live your life like you did before, it’s time to seek help.

How is depression treated?

Up to 90% of people with depression who seek treatment experience relief. Adelpha Psychiatric Group uses a holistic approach, treating you as a whole person. Medication and psychotherapy are used together to effectively manage your depression.

Medication

Brain chemistry significantly affects your mood, so it does contribute to depression. Most depression medications alter brain chemistry.

Antidepressants are the most common depression medications. They can start relieving depression in as little as a week or two, but full results typically take a few months. With medication management, the team monitors your response to medication and adjusts your prescriptions as needed.

Brain chemistry isn’t the only thing involved in your mood, though. Psychotherapy can manage those other things.

Psychotherapy

Psychotherapy is talk therapy involving one-on-one communication with an experienced psychotherapist. There are more than 400 distinct types of psychotherapy. But one of the most proven approaches to treating depression is cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT).

CBT will teach you to identify harmful and distorted thinking. This therapy gives you tools to change your negative thoughts and behaviors into positive ones.

Call Adelpha Psychiatric Group now or request your appointment through online booking.