WHAT YOU SHOULD
KNOW
If you find yourself overcome by uncontrollable feelings
of sadness, guilt, and low self-esteem that you can't shake off
for 2 months or more, you're probably suffering from major
depression, a serious illness that afflicts more than 15 per
cent of Americans at some point in their lives. Fortunately,
there's no need to be resigned to this problem. A variety of
medications are available to bring your mood back to normal and
let you get on with your life.
Causes
Ordinary bouts of depression come and go, but a major,
unshakable depression seems to be the result of a change in
brain or body chemistry. It can start spontaneously, or be
triggered by a devastating event such as loss of a loved one,
loss of a job, an assault, or a rape. Your odds of developing
major depression are higher if:
-
You're a woman.
-
Someone else in your family
has had a mood disorder.
-
You are between the ages of
25 and 44 years.
-
You abuse drugs or
alcohol.
Signs/Symptoms
Depression can start very slowly, and become noticeable
to other people before you recognize it yourself. It's often
accompanied by irritability and anxiety. In addition to
feelings of hopelessness, you may suffer:
-
A loss of pleasure in
life
-
Trouble eating and
sleeping
-
Apathy
-
Fatigue
-
Trouble
concentrating
-
A lack of interest in
sex
Thoughts of suicide are not
uncommon.
Care
Treatment with one of the many antidepressant medications
currently available is the standard approach to this problem.
However, if the drugs don't do the job---or you begin to feel
suicidal---a hospital stay may be necessary.
At first, you will probably need to visit a clinic or
doctor's office 1 to 4 times a month. Before treatment begins,
the doctor may order blood tests, an x-ray, EKG, or a CT scan
to rule out other illnesses. Once drug therapy is underway,
you'll need additional blood tests to monitor the effects of
the drug.
IF YOU'RE HEADING FOR THE
HOSPITAL...
What to Expect While You're
There
Treatment for severe depression can require full-time
hospitalization in a locked inpatient unit, or a partial care
program in which you are able to return home after each day's
therapy. Inpatients may wear their own clothes, but are
customarily searched for sharp objects such as scissors or nail
files, which are held in a staff office. Patients who present a
danger outside the hospital can be involuntarily hospitalized
for up to 3 days by the police or a doctor. While hospitalized,
you may encounter the following
procedures.
-
Group Therapy: These meetings are somewhat like a
support group session, allowing patients to share coping
strategies. The meetings are run by medical
staff.
-
Individual Therapy: This is a time for you to meet
alone with your therapist to discuss ways of dealing with
the illness.
-
Family Meetings: In these sessions, medical staff
will prepare you and your family for your return
home.
-
Time Out: If you become unable to control yourself,
the staff may separate you from the other patients, either
in your own room or---if you seem violent---in a "safety
room."
-
Restraints: Patients who pose a danger to themselves
or others may be physically restrained with leather
bands.
-
Electroconvulsive (e-LEK-tro-kun-VUL-siv) Therapy:
If medication doesn't work for you---or isn't fast
enough---this form of treatment can be very helpful. Also
known as ECT or shock therapy, it applies a mild electric
current to the brain. Although the treatment temporarily
disrupts the memory, full recall typically returns within
two weeks.
WHAT YOU SHOULD
DO
-
Be sure to take your
prescribed medication regularly, even if it seems to have
no effect at the start. It takes as long as 4 to 6 weeks
for some medications to become effective. Since some
antidepressants can make you drowsy, be cautious when using
machinery or driving until you know how the drug affects
you. Check with your doctor before taking any other drugs,
either prescription or over-the counter.
-
Avoid alcohol and
recreational drugs while taking an antidepressant. They may
interact with it badly.
-
Since it's hard to avoid
stress, learn to control it with such techniques as deep
breathing, relaxing muscles, meditation, or biofeedback.
Try not to bottle-up your feelings; talk to your doctors,
family, or friends and let them help you. You may also want
to join a support group.
-
Encourage those close to you
to talk to your doctor. He can give them tips on how to
respond to the situation.
Call Your Doctor
If...
-
You feel your mood getting
worse.
-
You're unable to sleep well
or find that you are sleeping more than
usual.
-
You undergo a change in
appetite.
-
Your medicine makes you
drowsy, dizzy, or sick to your stomach.
Seek Care Immediately
If...
-
You begin to have thoughts of
suicide or homicide.
-
Your medicine causes an
allergic reaction (swelling or trouble
breathing).
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