Depression is a mental health condition that can affect a person’s thoughts, mood, feelings, and behavior. People with depressive disorders may have a hard time functioning in daily life.

Depression can make it hard for people to want to get out of bed, care for themselves, or fulfill daily tasks, like work or school. However, effective and consistent treatment for depression can help.

Learn more about depression, including what it is, symptoms of depression, causes and risk factors, and the best treatment options.

About Depressive Disorders

Depression is a general term for different types of depressive disorders (also called mood disorders). These mental health disorders lead to low moods and a loss of interest or pleasure in activities for a prolonged period of time.

People who battle depression may experience sleep troubles, withdraw from friends and family, fall behind in school, fail to show up to work, and see other effects on their health. In short, depression can affect every area of a person’s life.

With time and for severe types of depression, a person may also experience suicidal thoughts or self-harm.

Yet the right treatment can make a world of difference for a person with depression, leading to improved moods, management of depression symptoms, and improved well-being.

Along with effective substance abuse treatment, Otter House Wellness in North Carolina provides mental health care for depression and other mental disorders.

Key Facts on Depression

About 280 million people worldwide experience depression, including about 8.3% of U.S. adults.
Depression can affect people of all ages, from children in elementary school to teens/adolescents, young adults, and older adults.
Untreated depression can affect relationships, finances, physical and mental health, job performance, school performance, and quality of life.
Depression is highly treatable, and more than 80% of people who get depression treatment say it helps.

What Causes Depression to Form?

Depression doesn’t have a single cause. That is, many factors may lead to a person developing depression.

One possible cause is an imbalance of neurotransmitters (brain chemicals) that lead to positive feelings and balanced mood, including serotonin and dopamine.

‘Causes’ of mental disorders are what lead them to develop. But rarely do any mental illnesses have a single cause. Instead, people may experience risk factors for depression that make them more likely to develop it.

That said, likely causes of depression are genetic (i.e. due to your genes or family history) and environmental (or due to your experiences and the world around you).

Who Is at Risk for Depression?

You can’t control all of your risk factors for depression. However, if you know your depression risk factors, you can be aware of the symptoms of depression and take action if you start to experience signs.

You may be more at risk for experiencing a type of depression if you:

Have a family history of depression
Recently lost a loved one or family member
Experienced traumatic life events
Have just received a diagnosis for a severe medical condition
Are female
Have a poor diet
Rarely or never exercise
Live in an area with long winters/low amount of sunlight
Have recently given birth
Have a substance use disorder (drug or alcohol addiction)
Have another mental health condition, such as anxiety disorders
Experience chronic pain or other health problems

Symptoms of Depression

Depression symptoms may come and go, or they may affect you for weeks or months at a time. Which symptoms you experience could depend on the type of depression you’re facing and the factors that affect it.

Some of the most common symptoms and signs of depression include:

Extreme feelings of sadness, even when you can’t find a reason
Feelings of hopelessness and worthlessness
Periods of frequent crying
Being angry or irritable
Oversleeping or insomnia
Unexplained weight gain or weight loss
Lack of appetite
Avoiding eating
Daytime sleepiness
Restlessness
Low self-esteem
Focus/attention issues
Memory issues
Isolating from people
Trouble making decisions

Types of Depression (Depressive Disorders)

There are many types of depression, and knowing the type you’re experiencing can help you get the right type of health care to treat it.

Major Depressive Disorder

Major depressive disorders, also called major depression or clinical depression, is a common type of depression. It’s listed as the third-leading cause for the burden of depression worldwide. By 2030, it’s expected to claim the top spot by the World Health Organization.

Per the DSM-5, major depression leads to ongoing periods of low mood, lack of interest in activities, weight loss, fatigue, oversleeping, feelings of guilt or worthlessness, and low self-esteem.

Left untreated, it can also cause suicidal thoughts.

Bipolar Disorder

Bipolar is both a mood and depressive disorder. There are a few types of bipolar, all of which cause periods of intense lows and extreme highs.

People with bipolar disorder may experience depressive episodes for weeks at a time, followed by a manic episode where they feel elated and energized.

Seasonal Affective Disorder

Seasonal affective disorder (SAD), or seasonal depression, affects people’s mood, thoughts, and behaviors due to weather pattern changes.

People with winter depression are affected from early fall until spring, while people with summertime depression may see symptoms from late spring to early fall.

Persistent Depressive Disorder

Also called dysthymia, persistent depressive disorder (PDD) is depression that can last for several years or more.

Symptoms of PDD vary from person to person, and may even change for the person over time. However, common symptoms include being generally unhappy, having a negative outlook on life, and feeling down much of the time.

Sadly, this disorder often goes undiagnosed and is mistaken for a person’s personality.

Other Depressive Disorders

Whatever type of depression you’re facing, you can find treatment for it in North Carolina at Otter House Wellness to help you manage it and live a healthier life.

Other types of depression include:

Atypical depression: Also called major depression with atypical symptoms, people with this disorder experience many of the same symptoms as major depressive disorder. However, they often see an improved mood as a response to positive events.
Perinatal depression (postpartum depression): This type affects women who have just given birth and occurs in up to 1 in 7 women. PPD can lead to both minor and major depressive episodes in the first 12 months after delivery.
Premenstrual dysmorphic disorder (PMDD): With this form of depression, women experience depression symptoms after ovulation and find relief from them once their menstrual cycle begins.

Complications of Untreated Depression

Left untreated, severe depression can lead to a host of side effects.

Like many chronic diseases, depression can cause physical symptoms, effects on your mental well-being, emotional and behavioral effects, and external effects on your life and relationships.

Here are some of the known and documented complications of depression:

Trouble maintaining life responsibilities
Job loss
Strain on relationships
Financial troubles
Effects on school performance
Increased alcohol or drug use
Increased weight gain or weight loss
Increased risk for heart disease
Worsened symptoms of existing health conditions
Increased thoughts of death
Suicide attempts

Depression Treatment at Otter House Wellness

Though depression can disrupt your life, effective treatment can help.

Remember that as much as 80% of people who received help for depression from a healthcare professional saw improvements to their health and life.

Your depression treatment plan should be tailored to your individual treatment needs and type of depression. At Otter House Wellness, customized treatment is exactly what we offer.

Here are the treatment services we offer for mental health.

Outpatient Mental Health Treatment Programs

Our outpatient treatment programs for depression are available in multiple levels of care to fit the varying needs of our clients.

Partial hospitalization offers an intensive treatment program with psychiatry services and therapy that take place 4-6 hours per day, 3-5 days per week. This program is helpful for people who are facing deep depression and need help learning to manage it.

Intensive outpatient treatment is similar, but takes place over fewer days and hours per week.

For people who have completed more intensive programs and are ready to move on to a more independent lifestyle in mental health recovery, outpatient services are also available.

Medication Management

Medication management is a service that helps ensure your antidepressant medication is working for you, not against you, in depression treatment.

During your outpatient program, healthcare providers will monitor depression symptoms and any side effects.

This way, they can ensure the antidepressants you are taking are the most effective for your needs, don’t create unbearable side effects, and don’t interfere with other meds.

Dual Diagnosis Care

Many people in depression treatment also need care for a substance use disorder (addiction). For these people, dual diagnosis treatment is most effective, as it treats both disorders together.

If one disorder goes undiagnosed or untreated, you may have trouble learning to manage your health fully in recovery.

Dual diagnosis care will involve a combination of treatments for both substance abuse and depression, like therapy, counseling, medication-assisted treatment, and others.

Therapy

Therapy is one of the most effective treatments for depression. It takes place either alone or in groups with help from a mental health professional.

Here are some of the best types of therapy for treating depression:

Psychotherapy (talk therapy): There are many types of talk therapy. One of the most effective is cognitive behavioral therapy, which involves working with a therapist to identify thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that don’t serve you and finding healthier ways to cope with them/replace them.
Group therapy: Taking part in a support group can help people with depression to connect with others and learn from their experiences, feel less alone, and find a supportive network of peers.
Family therapy: Therapy sessions for family can help heal family trauma and other issues that may lend to depression. It can also teach families how to support their loved one with depression.

Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is another therapy that involves using electrical currents to stimulate the brain while a person is under anesthesia. It’s shown to be effective, but typically only offered in extreme situations and for patients who haven’t responded to other treatments.

Get Customized Treatment for Depression in North Carolina

Depression is a very real mental health condition that can greatly affect your life and well-being. Don’t wait until you or your loved one experience harmful side effects of depression to seek help.

Reach out to Otter House Wellness to learn how we can help. We offer a suite of outpatient mental health programs, addiction treatment, and support. Contact us today.