Depression - Not Just the "Blues"
Monday August 4, 2008
More than 17 million Americans experience depression every year -- over half of them are women. In fact, women experience depression twice as often as men and they often experience it earlier, longer, and more severely. Learn to recognize the symptoms of depression, and find out about treatments for depression in women. Are you depressed?
Comments
I suffered from depression for several years before I sought treatment from my doctor. I grew up in a family where you just “got over it” or they whispered behind your back about your problem. What a blessing when a wonderful doctor explained to me the chemical and medical reason for my depression. And he prescribed some good drugs for me. Wellbutrin first, which was quite helpful but the price was resritive for me at the time. So I went to prozac and took it for several more years. But I hate taking medicine and I like natural solutions. Two years ago I started eating a high-antioxidant healthy chocolate and a couple of months later I was able to stop taking the prozac. It could have been coincidence, but I credit the healthy chocolate because I have seen a lot of other benefits after eating it over a period of time. I’m feel much healthier overall. http://www.myfitchocolate.com
When I was reading all the symptoms and reasons as to why and how women experience depression, I am right up there in the high percentile. Both of my parents are deceased, and I’m only just 40-something. My Mom died when I was quite young, and my Dad, my biggest support system, before I got married last year, died 3 months after my wedding. I am so depressed and deal with Hypersomnia, which is I sleep way too much. I lost 35 pounds since February of this year, and just can’t seem to get it together, even though I am on antidepressants – meds that I don’t enjoy taking very much. I liked Prozac much better, but my Pdoc (on my request) changed my antidepressants.. Now I realize that the Prozac was indeed working! I felt 1,000x better on the Prozac than on the Wellbutrin but my pdoc won’t change it back now! I’m also on Celexa, Neurontin and Klonopin. I actually have Bipolar Disorder II, where I’ve never really been “manic,” but more like Hypo-manic. Well, I guess I need to find a good therapist. The one I have now only talks about herself and her roots from Russia! She’s so NOT helpful!
Well I am not that fortunate. I have to have some with me majority of the time. I chose a therspuetic dog. I have GAD as well. I am doing great communicating one on one. But I cannot finf a way to have her registerd. Maybe I would go out more. Now it seem Babygirl is more depressed than I am. Thanks for reading.
In my opinion, too often depression is initially treated solely with medications. A psychotherapist who can help create a safe space for emotional exploration can help a person acknowledge and express his/her feelings in a healthy, healing way. I hope many of you can find a professsional adept at this way of approaching the problem of depression. Clinical Social Workers, Marriage & Family Therapists, or Professional Counselors are oftentimes skilled at this.
You left out one prime reason for depression. Thyroid disease, especially post partum thyroiditis. I was misdiagnosed with post partum depression which meant I went 9 years undiagnosed with what turned into Hashimoto’s thyroiditis.
As 1:15 women over the age of 50 have thyroid disease it should be meantioned that a prime symptom of this is depression.
I agree that if someone is reporting symptoms of depression that physical causes need to be ruled out first because the treatment will be different. My hypothyroidism which, unfortunately, was exacerbated by lithium (I too have bipolar) was, however, only part of my depression. Depression and anxiety disorders are leading causes of missed work days in this country now and more and more men are beginning to seek treatment for them. I have read that the rate of depression is actually higher than reported with men because many do not seek treatment because they think it is a “women’s thing” or they feel too macho. I imagine that as it becomes more commonly known that depression can have a variety of causes, many of which are medical and many of which do respond well to antidepressants and other treatments, there will be more men reporting symptoms.
As for other treatments, I’ve read about how having a square a day of dark chocolate can be beneficial. I know that some research indicates that St. John’s Wert has been somewhat helpful in some cases of mild to moderate depression. I know some people whose drug-resistant depression has been helped by electroconvulsive therapy.
Then again, there is the very normal depression that can be caused by a situation such as grief over a loss or separation. There are so many kinds of depression and such varied symptoms and often when a person is in the throes of deep depression they lack the energy to seek treatment. Since depression and anxiety disorders are so relatively common, it would be a good thing if people tried to keep at least somewhat current with trends in treatment.
The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI) and other organizations have plenty of free literature available, some directed specifically toward women. NAMI is a grass-roots, consumer-based organization with headquarters in Washington, D.C. and has a toll-free help line. NIMH is a government agency and also has a toll-free help line and I think individual copies of brochures can be had for free, though I haven’t checked with them lately.
The Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA) is a growing consumer organization which has a wide variety of literature and both NAMI and DBSA have local support groups for consumers and their families and advocates as well as regional and national conferences. Both have websites. http://www.nami.org and ww.dbsalliance.org are their websites.
My sister is suffering with depression, etc. Last year she was in and out of the hospital from July through the Christmas Holidays. I saw that she started to make some real progress, but now is falling into the same habits. She has very low self esteem, is constantly focusing on things that happened to us as children and is now worrying compulsively over things that may never happen in the future. I don’t know what to do to help her.
She calls me and we talk it out and for the moment she understands the depression, but then it starts all over again. Is there any service that helps the families of those who are suffering from terrible depression? Please help.