Jude Evans-McCarthy struggled with feelings of despair, but she didn’t tell anyone so she wouldn’t be labeled “crazy,” and even hid information from her doctors.
Then one day, after years of hardship, his car almost crashed into a truck.
“The only thing that stopped me was that my pets were in the car. And I didn’t want that.” [suicidarme] and for my son to deal with the consequences and wonder if I didn’t love him,” she said.
Evans-McCarthy was later diagnosed with depression. He described feeling like he had an elephant on his chest. “The elephant has his trunk around my neck. It’s hard to crawl out from under it.”
Evans-McCarthy isn’t the only one. Depression of America [Asociación de ansiedad y depresión de Estados Unidos] (ADAA) reports that clinical depression or major depressive disorder (MDD) affects more than 21 million American adults over the age of 18.
“Depression is one of the most commonly diagnosed psychiatric illnesses worldwide and can have a significant impact on your social relationships and daily life,” said Drew Pate, MD, chief of psychiatry at LifeBridge Health in Baltimore, Maryland.
How do you know if you are suffering from depression or sadness?
It is normal to feel sad in response to external events, but sadness passes over time and usually does not cause difficulty in activities of daily living. Clinical depression interferes with daily activities and is a prolonged period of sadness that may not be related to external causes or factors.
“People can develop a temporary depressive reaction due to a difficult situation that lasts less than two weeks,” said Karen Lynn Cassiday, Ph.D., ACT, owner and clinical director of the Anxiety Treatment Center of Greater Chicago and past president of the ADAA. “During this time, their activities may seem more difficult, but they are able to resume them quickly, even if they continue to feel sad, negative, distressed, etc. Clinical or major depression occurs when someone feels sad, discouraged, irritable, negative, or has lost interest in things that normally brought them joy for two or more weeks.”
According to Cassiday, these changes in mood and mental and physical energy should not be consistent with that person’s personality.
Are there different types of depression?
The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) notes that there are several types of depression, including MDD; persistent depressive disorder, which is less severe but can last for years; and seasonal affective disorder. Major depression can present with depressive symptoms for two weeks or longer and interfere with a person’s daily activities.
The ADAA reports that MDD is more common in women than men. “Women are particularly at risk of clinical depression in the peripartum period, when they are housewives and suffer from sleep disorders. [durante el período posparto]. “Women need additional emotional and physical support to cope with the changes associated with motherhood so that they do not fall into depression,” Cassiday said.
What are the symptoms of clinical depression?
Symptoms of clinical depression can vary greatly from person to person, but may also include the following persistent symptoms:
- Changes in sleep patterns and insomnia
- Loss of appetite
- Carbohydrate cravings
- Unexplained weight loss of 10 pounds or more
- Loss of interest in sexual or personal relationships
- Loss of interest in friends and hobbies
- Inability to feel love or affection
- Talk or move slower than normal
- Difficulty concentrating
- Feeling of hopelessness or helplessness
How is depression treated?
Treatment for depression varies and may include psychotherapy and medication. Treatment-resistant depression, that is, depression that does not improve with standard treatments, is sometimes treated with other methods, including electroconvulsive therapy, transcranial magnetic stimulation, or ketamine.
Antidepressant medications should be taken as directed and may work weeks after the first dose. All treatments, including herbal medicines, should be discussed with your doctor, who must write the prescription.
You can also take steps to help relieve your symptoms, including:
- Exercise regularly
- Eat foods that are unlikely to cause inflammation
- Practice mindfulness and gratitude meditation
How to ask for help with depression
If you experience symptoms of depression or have suicidal thoughts for more than two weeks, you should seek help. Asking for help can be difficult. If you are not ready to contact a psychologist, you can first make an appointment with your family doctor.
Your doctor will try to identify symptoms to determine whether you have depression, ask about events that may have contributed to your symptoms, and try to find out a family history of depression. There are no tests available to diagnose depression, but your doctor may order laboratory tests to identify hormonal or other problems that may cause the same symptoms.
Evans-McCarthy found that asking for help and accepting treatment was helpful in managing her depression. “Medication is one of several tools at my disposal,” he said. “You need other resources like therapy, friends, exercise and hobbies that you can use when you need them.”
If you know someone in crisis, please call or text the suicide prevention and crisis hotline 988.
Features
American Foundation for Suicide Prevention
Suicide and crisis prevention hotline 988
Depression overview page from the National Institute of Mental Health
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