|
|
Guest
Columns
Simply click on any link below
to read the entire article
|
|
|
Mental Health Month - Depression
05-18-2006
10:51 am
Everyone gets down from time to time, but sometimes it’s more than just “the blues.” Sometimes it can be clinical depression. Clinical depression affects more than 19 million Americans each year. It is a real illness that can be treated effectively. Unfortunately, fewer than half of the people who have this illness seek treatment. Too many adults believe that it is a “normal” part of life and that they can treat it themselves. Left untreated, depression poses a huge burden on employees, employers and families. It causes unnecessary suffering and disruption in one’s life and work, and costs about $44 billion a year in lost workdays, decreased productivity and other losses.
Child and adolescent depression is very similar. Children and teens with clinical depression cannot simply “snap out of it.” In fact, as many as one in eight teens and one in 33 children have clinical depression. It can affect feelings, thoughts, and actions, and can appear as a physical illness. The good news is that clinical depression in both youth and adults is treatable.
It’s starts with recognizing the signs and they are similar for both children and adults;
- Persistent sadness
- Withdrawal from family, friends and activities that were once enjoyed
- Increased irritability or agitation
- Changes in eating and sleeping habits (e.g., significant weight loss, insomnia, excessive sleep)
- Frequent physical complaints, such as headaches and stomachaches
- Lack of enthusiasm or motivation
- Decreased energy level and chronic fatigue
- Indecision, lack of concentration or forgetfulness
- Feelings of worthlessness or excessive guilt
- Recurring thoughts of death or suicide
- Loss of pleasure and interest in once-enjoyable activities, including sex
- Reduced appetite and weight loss, or increased appetite and weight gain
- Difficulty concentrating at work or at school, or difficulty remembering things or making decisions
- (children) Play that involves excessive aggression toward self or others, or that involves persistently sad themes
So what can you do? Know the warning signs for depression and note the duration, frequency and severity of troubling behavior. Get accurate information from libraries, hotlines like CONTACT Care-Line in Marion (740-383-CARE), the internet or by calling The Marion Area Counseling Center, Inc. (740-387-5210). Go see a mental health professional or doctor for evaluation and diagnosis when you see or experience several of the warning signs. The evaluation may include psychological testing, laboratory tests and consultation with other specialists.
Remember to ask questions about treatments and services. A comprehensive treatment plan may include psychotherapy, ongoing evaluation and, in some cases, medication. Optimally, the treatment plan is developed with the whole family, and whenever possible, the child when one is involved. Talk with other families in the community or find a family network organization like NAMI (National Alliance for the Mentally Ill) www.nami.org (740-387-8531) locally. For more information on clinical depression contact the Marion Area Counseling Center, Inc. www.maccsite.com or call 740-387-5210.
|
