If you feel sad most days and have trouble getting out of bed, you could be dealing with depression. At Sage Mental Wellness, located in Hagerstown and Frederick, Maryland, Audra Worthington, MSN, PMHNP-BC, and Tammy Lewis, PMHNP-BC, provide compassionate care for depression. The practice offers medication management and ketamine when your symptoms are too much to bear. To find out about more treatment options, call one of the offices in Maryland to schedule an appointment, or book a consultation on the website.
Depression is a very common mental health disorder that negatively impacts your life in many ways. It often affects your mood and your actions. It also impacts your relationships and the way you think about things.
Major depressive disorder is very serious and, in some cases, causes thoughts of self-harm. The American Psychiatric Association reports that depression affects about 1 in every 15 people annually. Even more astounding is the fact that 1 in 6 adults will experience depression at some point in their lives.
A diagnosis of depression requires symptoms that last for at least two weeks and affect your day-to-day life.
Depression may be short-lived after a stressful life event, or continue for months to years. If your depression hangs around, it’s considered chronic.
There are often warning signs that pop up when you have depression. Sometimes, your symptoms are severe, while other cases are mild. Some of the tell-tale signs of depression include:
A serious sign of depression is continuous thoughts of self-harm or suicide. If you ever have these thoughts, it’s vital to seek help right away for immediate treatment.
Depression doesn’t have to be with you forever. The Sage Mental Wellness team considers your symptoms when developing your treatment plan. Typically, there are three main treatments for depression, which include:
Antidepressant medications like selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors are traditionally used for depression symptoms. It may take several tries until you find the right type of medication for you.
The team at Sage Mental Wellness also provides ketamine as an alternative option when other treatments haven’t helped your symptoms. Ketamine has shown promise when used to treat depression that’s been resistant to medications and psychotherapy.
Therapy is another way the team treats the symptoms of depression, and there are multiple types of therapy that may help.Cognitive-behavioral therapy is one of the most common forms of therapy. It teaches you how to understand your feelings and change your thoughts.
If you’re suffering from depression, call the team at Sage Mental Wellness today at one of the offices in Maryland. You may also book a consultation on the website.