Depression

More than 20 million adult Americans suffer from clinical depression. If you’re one of them, seek diagnosis and treatment at Jehovahs Behavioral Care, led by Grace Fomunung, PMHNP, in Lilburn, Georgia. Grace helps you feel like you again with a combination of therapy, patient education, regular consultations, and medication management. If depression is interfering in your daily life, don’t give up. Instead, book an appointment with Jehovahs Behavioral Care online or over the phone today.

What is depression?

Depression, also known as major depressive disorder or clinical depression, is a medical illness that causes sadness and/or a loss of interest in activities you once enjoyed. Clinical depression is not the same thing as occasionally feeling sad or down. It is a prolonged condition that can negatively impact your ability to function at home and work and lead to a host of physical and emotional health problems.

Anyone can get depression, but it typically appears between the ages of 15 and 30 and is most common in women. A number of things can cause or exacerbate depression, including genetics, biochemistry (the chemicals in your brain), environmental factors, and psychological factors. 

What are the symptoms of depression?

Depression manifests differently in everyone, but its symptoms usually include:

• Feeling sad or down
• Loss of interest or enjoyment in activities once enjoyed
• Changes in appetite
• Weight changes
• Trouble sleeping or sleeping too much
• Loss of energy or increased fatigue
• Increase in purposeless physical activity (finger tapping, fidgeting, pacing, handwringing, etc.) 
• Movements of speech that have been so slowed that others notice
• Feelings of worthlessness or guilt
• Trouble thinking, concentrating, or making decisions
• Thoughts of death or suicide

To qualify as depression, these symptoms must have lasted at least two weeks and must worsen your level of functioning.

How do you treat depression?

Fortunately, depression is treatable. With the right combination of therapy and/or medication, you can overcome depression. 

Jehovahs Behavioral Care believes in a patient-first approach and can help treat your depression with cognitive behavioral therapy, patient education, and regular consultations with your therapist. The practice can also provide medication management to ensure you find the best ones for you.

Clinical depression is an illness like any other, and anyone who struggles with it deserves just as much care and compassion as anyone else. No matter how long depression has been weighing you down, there’s always hope, and it’s never too late to seek treatment.

If you have depression, Jehovahs Behavioral Care, led by Grace Fomunung, PMHNP, wants to help. Take the first step by booking an appointment online or over the phone today.