Depression
Every body feels sad now and then. But if you're sad most of the time, and it's giving you problems with your attendance at work, your relationships with your family or friends, giving you problems with alcohol, drugs or sex, or controlling your behavior in other ways the problem may be depression. Clinical depression is a serious illness that can affect anybody. It can affect your thoughts, feelings behavior, and overall health. Most people with depression can be helped with treatment. When depression is not treated, it can get worse, last longer, and prevent you from getting the most out of this important time in your life.
WHEN YOU ARE DEPRESSED…
- You feel sad or cry a lot and it doesn't go away.
- You feel guilty for no reason; you feel like you're no good; you've lost confidence.
- Life seems meaningless or like nothing good is ever going to happen again. You have a negative attitude a lot of the time, or it seems like you have no feelings.
- You don't feel like doing a lot of the things you used to like and you want to be left alone most of the time.
- It's hard to make up your mind. You forget lots of things, and it's hard to concentrate.
- Your get irritated often. Little things make you lose your temper; you over-react.
- You start sleeping a lot more or you have trouble sleeping.
- You've lost your appetite or you eat a lot more.
- You feel restless or tired most of the time.
- You think about death or feel like you're dying, or have suicidal thoughts.
If you are concerned about depression in yourself or a friend, TALK TO SOMEONE about it. You can get help from a professional at a mental health center, a trusted family member, your family doctor, your pastor, a nurse, a social worker or responsible adult.
Depression can affect people of any age, race, ethnic or economic group. Having depression doesn't mean that a person is weak, or a failure, or isn't really trying…it means they need treatment.
Talking about feelings with a trained professional can help you change the relationships, thoughts, or behaviors that contribute to depression. Medication has been developed that effectively treats depression that is severe or disabling. Antidepressant meds are not addictive . Treatment can help most depressed people start to feel better in just a few weeks.