Depression Counselors Beacon NY

Mental health disorders, such as depression, permeate every aspect of your life. If the mental and emoptional symptoms weren't enough, depression can wreak havoc on your energy and health. Relationships and work-life can suffer. What's more depression, may cause a multitude of other complications, some of which are even life threatening.

That said, many of these compications are easily skirted. The first step is to know the risks.

Avoidable Complications

1. Other health conditions. People with depression are far more likely to have co-existing health issues. Furthermore, depression can worsen other health problems and increase sensations of pain, making illnesses such as cancer even more difficult.

For example, depression increases the severity of heart attacks and may reduce the effectiveness of heart disease treatment. It may also be a risk factor for heart disease. Individuals with both diabetes and depression are more likely to suffer life-threatening diabetes-related complications. Depression raises your risk for obesity, which then triggers a cascade of additional health troubles, raising your risk for serious illnesses.

2. Substance abuse. Alcohol and recreational drugs can cause and exacerbate depression, and depressed individuals are more likely to abuse recreational drugs. Substance abuse makes depression treatments less effective.

3. Other mental health disorders. Eighty to 90 percent of those with depression struggle with anxiety. These individuals are more likely to experience panic attacks and have additional mental health problems. Furthermore, experts blame two-thirds of suicides on depression and say that 15 percent of those with major depression die by suicide. Depression is also associated with mental decline in the elderly and significantly increases their risk for suicide.

4. Relationship and social problems. If you're depressed, you're more likely to get divorced or become unemployed. In fact, in about half of distressed couples, one spouse is usually suffering from depression.

Avoiding Depression-Related Complications

If you suffer from depression, seek help from a qualified professional who may prescribe medications, psychotherapy, or both. Don't give up on your treatment. If you're not experiencing significant improvement, talk to your mental health provider about alternative treatments.

There's plenty you can do to help yourself. Go back to the basics by:

• Eating a healthy, balanced diet,
• Getting plenty of sleep,
• Avoid caffeine, alcohol, and drugs,
• Quit smoking,
• Exercise more often,
• And increase your consumption of omega-3 fatty acids.

Consider incorporating mind-body techniques, such as massage, music therapy, or acupuncture, which have all shown to help reduce symptoms of depression.

Depression is a highly treatable disease. Don't let it create additional complications in your life.

Sources:

University of Maryland Medical Center. "Depression - Complicatio...

While antidepressant medications generally provide significant relief from depression, 10 to 30 percent of patients find their symptoms persist. Some patients experience only minimal improvement; others find their symptoms don't subside at all or return after a brief improvement. Fortunately, with a bit of perseverance, most patients find a treatment regimen that works.

Do You Have Treatment-Resistant Depression?

Many factors contribute to treatment-resistant depression. If you answer yes to any of these questions, it may explain why your antidepressant is not working.

• Have you been taking your antidepressant for less than four to six weeks? It typical takes at least this long before you notice improvement.
• Are you on a low dose of antidepressants? Only about 11 percent of patients take an adequate dose initially, or stay on an antidepressant long enough for it to take effect. Insufficient dose and duration are the most common causes of treatment failure.
• Are you under excessive stress?
• Do you have an underlying health problem, such as hypothyroidism or anemia that might reduce the effectiveness of your medication?
• Are you also taking other drugs? Medications such as beta-blockers actually cause depression as a side effect, and others block the action of antidepressants.
• Do you have a co-existing condition, such as an eating disorder or substance abuse?

What to Do

Depression is highly treatable. If you're taking antidepressants and your depression is not improving, seek help from a professional who specializes in mental health, rather than your primary care physician.

Sometimes all it takes is switching to a different antidepressant. For example, individuals whose symptoms include low energy might respond better to an antidepressant that has a slightly stimulating effect. For those who have difficulty sleeping, an antidepressant with sedating properties might be the right choice.

For any given antidepressant, there's no absolute correct dose. The right dose varies from person to person depending upon age, weight, health status, and other co-existing conditions. You may need a higher dose than your prescription calls for.

Ask your mental health professional to evaluate you for other mental health problems, such as bipolar disorder, and have your primary care physician rule out other health conditions that may be interfering in your depression treatment.

Attend to your basic needs. Eat a healthy, balanced diet, get enough sleep, and avoid drugs, alcohol, and pain medications. Adding psychotherapy may provide the treatment boost you need.

Sources:

Thase, Michael E. and Rush, A. John. "Treatment-Resistant Depression."Psychopharmacology: The Fourth Generation of Progress. Web.

http://www.acnp.org/g4/GN401000105/Default.htm

Hall-Flavin, Daniel K., M.D. "Antidepressants: Can they stop working?" Mayo Clinic. Web. 18 March 2010. http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/antidepressants/AN01312

Mayo ...

Depression is a highly treatable disorder. However, many sufferers experience a recurrence or relapse of symptoms over time.

Relapse and Recurrence

A relapse is an episode of major depression within six months after responding positively to treatment. A recurrence, in contrast, is another depressive episode that occurs more than six months after the first. Both are common. In fact, mental health experts consider major depressive disorder a chronic condition with frequent relapses and recurrences. Individuals with major depression are more likely to experience a relapse or recurrence than those with mild depression.

The earlier you seek treatment for depression after the onset of symptoms, the more effective treatment is and the less likely you are to have a recurrence. Some patients don't respond well to initial treatment and it takes several tries to find an effective therapy. However, the more treatment strategies required, the lower your odds of beating depression. Patients who become completely symptom free following treatment (versus those who only have a partial improvement) have a better chance of staying in remission.

What Triggers Relapse?

Certain triggers increase the likelihood of depression relapse or recurrence, including friction within personal relationships, feeling overwhelmed with too much to do, feeling like others are judging or criticizing you, ending a relationship, and physical illness.

Furthermore, individuals who first become depressed after age 60 or have depressive risk factors, such as personal or family history, co-existing mental health conditions, and lingering symptoms after initial treatment are at greater risk for additional depressive episodes.

Preventing and Managing Relapses

The goal of depression treatment is to eliminate symptoms so you can resume a normal quality of life and avoid future depressive episodes. You should not stop treatment without consulting your physician and if your treatment is not helping (after giving it sufficient time to take effect), tell your physician so she can try a different therapy. Every patient responds differently to different therapies and you need to find one that's right for you.

Patients with more serious forms of depression may need to remain on long-term maintenance treatment with antidepressant medications, psychotherapy, or both. Cognitive behavioral therapy and interpersonal psychotherapy after initial treatment with antidepressants helps many patients prevent future depressive episodes, especially adolescents. Practicing mindfulness-based cognitive therapy also helps prevent relapse in patients who are in remission.

You and your physician should monitor your symptoms and be alert for the onset of a relapse or recurrence so you can begin treatment immediately.

Sources:

ScienceDaily.com. "Mindfulness-Based Therapy Helps Prevent Depression Relapse." Web. 9 December 2010. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/12/101206161734.htm ...