Depression: Symptoms, Causes, and Treatment Options

Symptoms Of Depression

Depression and stress can disrupt how you function, eat, sleep, and get along with others. There are different reasons why people experience depression. For example, financial trouble can cause poor self-esteem. Losing your home to foreclosure can cause marital problems and lead to separation, divorce, and bankruptcy. Financial stress and worry can make people feel small and unimportant. All of these can trigger severe depression.

Loss or damage to close relationships can cause emotional instability, stress, worry, anxiety, and feelings of utter isolation and loneliness. Damage to one’s self-esteem and the stress and fear brought on by financial instability can quickly turn to feelings of frustration, sadness, anger, panic, and depression. All of these or any combination thereof can lead to severe clinical depression.

Although most who suffer from depression, stress, and worry feel as though they are suffering alone, over 30% of the American population suffers or has suffered from some form of severe depression. Depression is a disease, and like other diseases, it can be treated and managed. One way is to find a local treatment center that can help diagnose and treat your depression.

Common symptoms of depression

The following are common symptoms related to depression. They include loss of interest in what was once pleasurable activities, change in appetite, difficulty sleeping, reduced focus and concentration, decreased libido, negative thoughts including death and dying low energy, and feelings of vulnerability and profound sadness.

It is important when consulting with your doctor to be candid, open, and honest about any depressive symptoms you may be feeling, mainly if such feelings include recurring and intrusive thoughts of suicide. If you think you are in danger of committing suicide, you are urged to call the suicide hotline at 1-800-273-8255.

It is dangerous to ignore the symptoms of depression. Many treatment centers work with people suffering from depression and similar disorders, including illegal drug dependence. Some of these centers focus on drug therapy, while others use behavioral therapy or a combination of both. Your doctor should advise you of these options and suggest a course of treatment that will work for you.

Treatment Centers

Unfortunately, the image that comes to mind when considering enrolling in a treatment center is padded rooms and drugged-out patients. But these are old stereotypes that have little if any, relevance to today’s modern treatment centers.

Most treatment centers for depression provide a comprehensive approach, including talk and group therapy, where indicated antidepressants, positive motivation, and consciousness training, and follow-up care once the program is completed.

Drug Therapy For Depression

Antidepressants used under the supervision of a doctor may relieve some of your symptoms. Still, antidepressant medication is not a cure for the underlying problem and is rarely a long-term solution. Not only do antidepressants come with risky side effects, but some studies have also raised questions about their overall effectiveness in treating clinical depression.

Research has shown that antidepressants are less effective than most people realize. A major study released in 2008 showed that fewer than 50 percent of people become symptom-free on antidepressants. Furthermore, it is being shown that after drug therapy, patients regress into major depression within just a few months.

Choosing the right treatment center – different types – costs

There are different types of treatment centers from which to choose for the treatment of depression. Some centers work exclusively with teens. Both private and public centers vary in both price and length of stay. Some treatment centers are denominational and provide the patient with a familiar religious and spiritual context to recover.

The average price for a private non-profit inpatient program will range from $5,000 – $10,000 per month. Should the treatment center also require detoxification from illicit drugs like cocaine or heroin, the cost for such treatment will run, on average, between $500 and $1,500 per day.

Commonly Prescribed Antidepressants

The most widely prescribed antidepressants come from medications known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). These include the following types of frequently prescribed antidepressants such as Zoloft, Celexa, and Lexapro.

There are common side effects to SSRI antidepressant use, which include sleepiness, nausea, anxiety, insomnia, decreased libido, dry mouth, constipation, and weight gain. Other types of antidepressants that are not SSRI-based drugs include atypical antidepressants, tricyclic antidepressants, and monoamine oxidase inhibitors.

Getting off antidepressants

The use of antidepressants is intended to provide temporary relief from depression. It is not intended for lifelong use. If you would like to stop using antidepressants, you will first need to consult a physician and reduce your chemical dependency slowly. Stopping the use of antidepressants abruptly can be a frightening and dangerously confusing experience.

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