Depression

Depression is most often characterized by the emotional symptoms it brings- persistent low mood, hopelessness, sadness, and worthlessness – that can make day to day life difficult and be extremely taxing on your mental well being. But the mind and body are heavily connected and when you experience depression, the challenges do not stop with just your mental health. Many people will also experience physical health problems when depression is left untreated.  How Depression Can Affect You Physically Depression can have both short term and long term physical health challenges that often get worse the longer depression goes untreated. Common…

One of the main challenges with suicide is that those who are experiencing suicidal thoughts may feel shame or guilt about those thoughts, making them unwilling to confide in others until it is too late for an outside observer to tell those who are experiencing suicide ideation that their thoughts of worthlessness, sadness, or the idea that people would be better off without them are not true. This is not possible when those thoughts are missed. Instead of expecting clear statements of intent, watching for these particular signs can potentially indicate that a loved one or friend is having suicidal…

Many different events throughout our lives will make us feel sad. Failing a test at school or a project at work, losing a loved one or something important, stress in your life, traumatic events, and other challenges can all result in feelings of sadness, guilt, despondency, and more negative emotions. Depression also produces many of these same feelings, but it is different in that depression is a mental health condition and in many cases will not go away on its own with time. The similarities between sadness and depression can make it important to know which one you are experiencing…

Mood disorders is an umbrella term that encompasses many of the different mental health conditions that impact mood. Generally, the effect on mood is negative, resulting in low mood, irritability, and feelings of hopelessness, but the causes and specific symptoms of a mood disorder can differ greatly depending on the specific type of mood disorder. If you, a family member, or a friend is living with a mood disorder, this can provide insight into what they may be experiencing. Mental Health Conditions that Affect Mood Most mood disorders are a type of depression. For this reason, they will often produce…

As we grow, our brains change. Learning new skills and going through new experiences can alter the neural pathways that control our thought processes. This happens throughout our lives in a process called neuroplasticity. Neuroplasticity is at play almost every moment. All your behaviors and thoughts can either rewire your brain, or reinforce the pathways that are already there. This is essential for learning, but it can also influence the thought patterns behind your moods, potentially being the cause of various mental health conditions and preventing you from breaking from the negative thought patterns that are a symptom of many…

People can experience depression at any age. But older adults, especially those over the age of 65, have an increased risk for depression. A lifetime of experiences, loss of loved ones, pain and illness, reduced abilities, and worry about aging and death are significant challenges adults face as they get older, and they can contribute to depression. Yet depression is underdiagnosed in seniors, and many of the older adults who experience depression do not get the help they need to manage the symptoms. Estimates place the number of people in this demographic living with a mental health condition at around…

For those who have heard of postpartum depression, most understand it as a depressive illness that affects women in the weeks after they give birth, causing them to be unhappy and making it difficult for them to care for their new baby. Depression is often brought on by hormonal changes during pregnancy and the stress around a birth. While postpartum depression is a severe struggle for 15% of women, doctors are also realizing that many men experience postpartum depression too. As many as 5 to 10% of new fathers also experience depression symptoms after the birth of their child. Symptoms…

Many Western cultures, including the U.S., have long characterized men as more resilient, independent, and less troubled by emotional upset. Under this characterization, depression is sometimes seen as a mental health condition that men do not experience, or at least do not show symptoms of. But as many men can attest, this simply is not true. At least 30% of men have experienced or will experience symptoms of depression at some point in their lives. Over 9% of men are currently experiencing depression. In addition, men with depression are four times more likely to attempt suicide than women. Whether from…

There is a correlation between depression and alcohol abuse. One does not necessarily cause the other, but those who exhibit alcoholism are likely to have clinical depression. Likewise, those who abuse alcohol have likely dealt with depression symptoms or are currently doing so. Although alcohol addiction and depression may not cause each other, alcoholism will impact the symptoms of depression. It can make the symptoms stronger, longer lasting, and more difficult to recover from.  Symptoms of Depression that is Affected by Drinking Alcohol Alcohol is a depressant. This means it reduces nervous system functioning and the production of certain chemicals…