Depression is a mood disorder that affects millions of people worldwide. It is characterized by persistent feelings of sadness, hopelessness, and a lack of interest in activities that a person used to enjoy. While the exact cause of depression is not fully understood, there are many factors that can contribute to its development.
It’s easy to mistake signs of depression for something else. If you’re sad, it’s natural to think it’s because you have relationship issues, consistent job issues, or just had a bad day. But when those feelings consume most of your day every day, you may need a diagnosis and professional care.
The practice of “social distancing” has been mandated by our government, which means we are isolated in quarantine, away from our friends, colleagues and extended family members. Even if you are an introvert and don’t love social situations, studies show that too much isolation can be detrimental to our mental health.
It’s unsettling to realize that our usually long bout of unhappiness is actually clinical depression.
Depression is the most common mental illness in the U.S, with first-line treatments including antidepressant medications complemented by talk therapy.
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) estimate that nearly 7 million American adults over age 65 experience depression each year.
Ketamine infusions are paving the way for new developments in depression treatment, and the way researchers understand the brain as a whole.
One of the most overlooked aspects of our mental health is our diets.
What we eat not only plays a significant role in our physical health, but also in our mental wellbeing. Until recently, little emphasis has been placed on diet in a clinical setting. Most treatment options for mental health related issues have centered around medicine and traditional forms of talk or CBT therapy. This, however, has been changing…especially with the advent of a whole new field of medicine designed to address the connection between diet and depression: nutritional psychiatry.
One-third of parents are confident in their ability to spot depression in their teenage children. While this might sound encouraging, it is anything but. Teenage depression is very difficult to distinguish from normal, adolescent mood swings; hence, that third of overconfident parents risk misdiagnosing their child at best, and missing the signs of severe mental illness at worst. Learn the signs of teenage depression so that you don’t inadvertently punish behavior that, however inappropriate, is a cry for help.