Am I tired or depressed?
To screen for depression, doctors often ask the following two key questions:
- During the past month, have you often been bothered by feeling down, depressed, or hopeless?
- During the past month, have you been bothered by finding little interest or pleasure in doing things, especially activities you used to find pleasurable?
Answering "yes" to either is a red flag. Persistent sadness and the inability to enjoy anything (anhedonia) are strong signs of depression.
Changes in sleep habits, including sleeping more or less than normal, can be a sign of depression, too. But sleep is often disrupted simply as a result of the demands of eldercare, or as a feature of certain diseases and recovery processes. So fatigue alone is not a reliable indicator of depression. However, if you find yourself usually feeling sad or hopeless, or you're no longer able to look forward to things that used to make you smile, it's possible that you might be suffering from clinical depression.
Don't be shy about mentioning your concerns to your healthcare provider. Discuss whether it seems reasonable to do a trial of depression therapy (usually a combination of antidepressants and talk therapy). If you pursue this course, be sure to check back with your provider after two to three months to assess whether there has been a change in symptoms.
I have depression.LatelyI have been having trouble getting to sleep without taking xanax and pain medicine.There are nights I never close my eyes even with medication.I may need my medicine changed.Talk to your doctor I'm going to.
Does your symptoms also include body aches and feeling lost, useless or disinterested in things you normally love to do? If you answer yes to any of these questions then it's probably depression. Visit your family doctor first and describe your symptoms to him/her. If it appears to be depression I'd suggest you then make an appointment with a psychiatrist who is more expertly trained in treating and prescribing medications for mental health issues than a family practitioner. The sooner you go the sooner you'll get these symptoms under control. There is help...I'm living proof. With the right diagnosis and the right medications I have been symptom free since 2002.
Many times over my lifetime I would feel depressed. My mother would tell me to get over it. I wish... Anyway, as an adult, I slogged my way through life, raising my children by myself and trying to have a life of my own. In my forties and fifties, I sought counseling (no meds) to achieve some success. I changed to a Psychiatrist in my later fifties and was given meds. After a traumatically painful job dismissal caused by a young woman with generation bias, I fell into a deep depression. I found myself trying to find ways to kill myself without it being obvious. My children were and still are the most important reasons to stay alive. I sold my home and moved to another state nearer my oldest child. This gave me some solace. My suicide thoughts were getting stronger. I sought help again. It was the best thing I could have done. It's been 5 years since I started and I feel almost normal (whatever that's supposed to mean). The meds have been prescribed, the counseling continues and my family's caring and love keep me going. Life is good!
Thanks for putting all these articles into print.. from reading them; i realise I must have clinical depression and that for many years. I have long suspected this but where I live, insurance does not cover this and doctors are expensive. But I am going to try.
