Depression Therapy: When is it time to see a Professional?
Depression or “being depressed” means something different to everyone. The official “dictionary” of mental disorders used by psychiatric practitioners is the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, Revision 5 or DSM-V. The DSM-V defines different levels and types of depression from mild to severe, depending on the specific symptoms present. Most people do not have the 947-page DSM-V manual at home or on their kindles, so how do you know if you are depressed? When should you seek professional help for depression therapy?
Most people who contact me for help with depression have symptoms that are affecting their ability to function on daily a daily basis. These difficulties may include problems with home, work, or social life. They may be personal feelings and emotions that include sadness, lack of motivation, low energy, or inability to concentrate. Once symptoms of depression increase to the point where you can no longer complete normal daily activities, most people want to reach out for help.
What about other, more subtle signs of depression? Margarita Tartakovsky, M.S., an Associate Editor at Psych Central and author of Weightless, offers suggestions of when to seek help based on her interview with two experts in the field of mood disorders. She interviewed Deborah Serani, PsyD, a clinical psychologist who specializes in treating mood disorders and Lee H. Coleman, Ph.D., ABPP, a clinical psychologist and assistant director and director of training at the California Institute of Technology’s student counseling center.
Here are some not-so-obvious reasons you may want to seek professional help for depression therapy.
- You feel hopeless or helpless. According to Serani, your thoughts might sound something like this: “Why is everything so hard for me? “Often, helplessness is a negative circle. If you feel helpless, you get more depressed. When you get more depressed, you feel helpless.”
- You feel guilty, worthless or ashamed. Unfortunately, depression is sometimes misperceived as a character flaw (instead of a real, debilitating illness), said Serani, also author of the books Living with Depression and Depression and Your Child. “So many children and adults blame themselves for not being able to snap out of depressed episode.” They think: “I’m so stupid,” or “I can’t do anything right.”
- You experience extreme irritability, anger or impatience, Serani said. “These symptoms are often misunderstood and viewed as ‘burnout’ or ‘stress.’” However, when agitated individuals are further questioned, they “reveal more classical symptoms of depression like negative thinking, helplessness, sadness and hopelessness.”
- You don’t want to be around others. You might start taking time off from work, Coleman said. “Coworkers might ask if you’re feeling OK, or comment to you that you don’t seem like yourself.”
- You have a harder time concentrating on tasks, even ones you enjoy, Coleman said. “It’s common for people with depression to read, write and even think more slowly.”
- You’re tired, have less energy or don’t feel like getting out of bed, he said. “A lot of the time, the signs of depression show up in our bodies.”
- You have headaches or body aches, Serani said.
- Your sleeping patterns have changed. You might have trouble sleeping and wake up much earlier than you normally do, Coleman said. Or you start oversleeping. “The key is to look out for a major change in the way you sleep”
- Your eating has changed. Some people with depression find food to be less appetizing and start to eat less, whereas others eat more than usual, Coleman said. Again, the factor to zero in on is change.
If you have any of the above symptoms, you may be clinically depressed. Ask yourself if it is time to look for a professional to help alleviate these symptoms.
** If you’re having thoughts of suicide, please get help immediately. Call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK or 1-800-273-8255.
