Depression

Depression is an illness in which factors such as genetics, chemical changes in the body and external events may play an important role.  The diagnosis of depression is based on the recognition of certain characteristic signs and symptoms affecting your mood state, thinking patterns and physical well-being.  While it is often tempting to stop taking the medication when you feel better, it is important to continue until you and your doctor agree your depression is treated.  In the majority of cases, depression is an illness that can be effectively treated with medication and counseling.  Treatment of depression is an ongoing process, with your doctor monitoring and “fine tuning” your medication, depending on how it is working for you.
Depression can leave you feeling helpless and out of control of your life, your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors.  Depression is one of the most common concerns of students coming to the Counseling and Mental Health Center.  Depression can also be a life-threatening illness when there is a risk of suicide.  Depression is an illness in which factors such as genetics, chemical changes in the body and external events may play an important role.  Many people wonder “When does ‘feeling down’ cross the line into depression.  In considering whether you need help with depression, it might be useful to consider the following three dimensions: Frequency, Severity and Duration.  Other times, however, the reasons for our depression are not quite as clear; that is, there may not be just one “cause,” but a variety of contributing factors that accumulate over time and lead us to that feeling of being defeated, demoralized, hopeless, helpless, depressed.  Do low self-esteem and anxiety cause depression.  Or does depression cause low self-esteem and anxiety.

Medication

Medications generally are not seen as substitutes for therapy, but work best together with therapy not only to relieve the depressive symptoms but to enhance the person’s understanding of the depression and expand his or her coping strategies for dealing with the conditions that led to depression in the first place.  Medication will not “fix” everything, but it may help lighten your mood and help you to function so that you can begin working through other problems.  Medication will not change who you are as a person, your unique personal characteristics, or your life circumstances.  A professional can help you get the help you need, whether that be counseling/psychotherapy or even possibly anti-depressant medications for a short period of time.  For more serious depressions, psychiatrists sometimes prescribe anti-depressant medications to help get the person back on track more quickly.  In the majority of cases, depression is an illness that can be effectively treated with medication and counseling.  However, there is always a chance that your depression may return once a medication is stopped.

In the majority of cases, depression is an illness that can be effectively treated with medication and counseling.  Treatment of depression is an ongoing process, with your doctor monitoring and “fine tuning” your medication, depending on how it is working for you.