Depression (major depressive disorder) causes persistent feelings of sadness, hopelessness, and despair. These emotions are so powerful they stop you from experiencing pleasure or joy. You lose interest in activities that normally make you happy, and nothing you try seems to improve your mood.

Your work or school performance can suffer, and relationships become strained. You interpret everything in its most negative light, further distorting your view of life. Without effective treatment, depression may worsen until you can’t function normally.

Some people with severe depression consider and attempt suicide. Sadly, many succeed. However, you can find a way back even from this stage of depression with help from the Innovation Medical Group Southwest Territory team.

Negative emotions aren’t the only symptom of depression. You might also experience:

• Chronic fatigue
• Slowed movements
• Brain fog (problems thinking clearly)
• Difficulties with memory and concentration
• General aches and pains
• Digestive problems
• Loss of appetite
• Insomnia (inability to sleep)

You might have one or many of these symptoms. Depression also causes entirely different behaviors in some cases. For example, instead of losing your appetite, you might find you eat more because it gives you some comfort. Likewise, instead of insomnia, you might develop hypersomnia, where you spend a great deal of time escaping into sleep.

Everyone’s depression has variances like these. But the mental anguish that nothing eases is depression’s defining symptom.

The potential causes of depression are many and varied. Common ones include:

• Traumatic life events
• Low self-esteem
• Poorly managed stress
• Experiencing violence or abuse
• Family history of depression
• Living in poverty
• Drug and alcohol misuse
• Chronic pain
• Nutritional deficiencies
• Hormonal imbalances

People with depression tend to have poor communication between the cells in their brains. Levels of the chemical neurotransmitters that pass messages between cells fall, and areas of the brain stop working as they should. The result is an increase in negative thoughts.

To treat depression, the Innovation Medical Group Southwest Territory team first looks at any problems like underlying medical conditions, chronic pain, stress, and addiction. Chronic disease management can help address the effects of these problems on your mental health.

To tackle the symptoms of your depression, the most effective approach for most people is a combination of medication and talk therapy. Medication helps by increasing the neurotransmitter levels in your brain. Therapy enables you to process trauma, grief, and other issues that trigger depression.