Depression is a common and serious medical illness that has a negative effect on how you feel, think, and act. Thankfully, it is a condition that can be treated with counseling and prescription medication if necessary. Depression tends to cause feelings of sadness and a loss of interest in activities that you once enjoyed doing. It can lead to many emotional and physical problems and can impair a person’s ability to function at work and deal with their social and home lives.

Depression can affect anyone—even people who seem to be living a “good life” with relatively “normal” circumstances.
Certain factors can play a role in depression:

• Biochemistry: Certain chemicals in the brain can be imbalanced in people with depression, particularly those with clinical depression.
• Genetics: Those with depression in their family can be at a greater risk to suffer from the same illness, especially if the sufferer was a close relation like a parent or a sibling.
• Personality: Traits like low self-esteem, anxiety, or pessimism can lead people to fall into depression more easily than people without these traits.
• Environmental factors: Ongoing exposure to abuse, neglect, violence, poverty and other harsh circumstances can make some people more vulnerable to depression.

Depression that results from medical conditions like hyperthyroidism, pregnancy or menopause, use of substances like drugs or alcohol, or within 2 to 3 months after the loss of a loved one or friend, generally do not rise to the level of “clinical depression” but still may require counseling.

There is no one test that can diagnose depression. Only a trained professional who understands the myriad of symptoms can know for sure. Key signs of depression include intense sustained sadness, “feeling blue” and a sharp loss of interest in activities you once enjoyed. To rise to the level of clinical depression, these negative emotions must present themselves daily usually for a period of two weeks or more, and cause significant distress or impairment.

Yes. Depression can be extremely dangerous if left untreated leading to debilitation, alienation, and even suicide in extreme cases. Therapy can help you understand what is wrong and provide tools to function while the depression subsides. Most important, we will work together to prevent relapses into depression. I will work with you in counseling to provide you with the practical tools to deal with the issues in your life and collaborate with psychiatrists on any prescription drug plans that you might need.

The DSM IV manual for diagnosing mental health issues suggests the presence of 5 of the following symptoms at the same time generally indicates the presence of clinical depression:

• Restlessness or feeling that others are “in the way” all the time
• Daily fatigue and low energy
• Feeling worthless or guilty on a daily basis
• Impaired concentration or the ability to make a decision
• Unable to sleep (insomnia) or excessive sleeping (“hypersomnia”) on a daily basis
• Significant loss of pleasure or interest in almost all activities every day
• Recurring thoughts of death or suicide (not just a fear of death)
• Significant weight loss or weight gain