Depression or Just Feeling Down?

For many people, unfortunately a stigma exists against depression.  The joke back in the 90s was "oh you're on Prozac?  Well that explains a lot."  However, what many fail to realize is that the brain is the strongest organ in the body.  It can make you see, feel, smell, and think of things that may or may not be there.  It is so strong, people have literally been destroyed.  What I want to express is that the little chemicals in our brain that make things work can sometimes be out of balance, and what occurs are symptoms that we doctors know as depression. 

Depression can take many forms and can include many different symptoms.  Criteria exists to guide physicians to the diagnosis.  The simplest thing to do is to download a PHQ-9 questionnaire off the internet and fill it out.  It is just a 10 question list and the main question is, "In the past 2 weeks have you had problems with:.......  Then the next 9 questions include issues associated with depression.  It is simple to do.

One shouldn't feel stigmatized against having a disease as serious as depression.  It is not one's own fault that their brain is not regulated properly.  And getting help is the best thing to do.  If symptoms persist longer than 2 weeks, it may be more than just feeling down.  It may be mild to moderate, or even severe depression.

Difficulty falling asleep, or sleeping too much, loss of interest in hobbies, loss or gain of appetite, low energy, feelings of guilt, difficulty with concentrating, feeling down and helpless or hopeless, and thoughts of suicide are common in depression.  Therefore, if your questionnaire shows you may have depression, schedule an appointment with a physician, either a family physician, or psychiatrist.  If you have mild depression, you can discuss with a psychologist.  All mental health professionals only want the best for any patient.