More than 14.8 million Americans experience depressions. And feeling sad isn’t the only symptom. There are many other symptoms that can interfere with your daily life and ability to function.
What Is Depression?
Depression affects how you feel, think and act. It’s more than just having a bad day. Depression can affect anyone. There are more than 50 different symptoms of depression, but not everyone who is depressed experiences every symptom. Some of the signs may include:
- Feeling sad
- Sleeping too much or too little
- Eating too much or too little
- Feeling worthless or hopeless
- Lack of energy
- Thinking about suicide or death
- Expecting the worst
- Decreased interest in activities and hobbies
- Withdrawing from family and friends
- Irritability
- Having trouble concentrating, remembering details or making decisions
- Feeling tired, even after oversleeping
- Thinking about suicide or hurting yourself
Should I Talk to Someone?
If any of these signs seem familiar to you, be sure to let your doctor know. Talk to someone. Help is available. You don’t have to feel this way. Also, remember this is a much more common problem than you think. So don’t worry about asking for help. If you feel strange talking to your doctor about your feelings, consider this: Depression can make some health problems you have worse. So treating your depression not only helps you feel better mentally, it could help you feel better physically, too.
Depression is very treatable through effective counseling and/or medication. Changing your lifestyle, sleep schedule, eating habits and physical activity could make a difference, too.
There are many different types of depression that vary in severity. No two people are affected the same way by depression and there is no “one size fits all” for treatment, so getting an accurate diagnosis from a licensed professional is key to identifying the appropriate treatment. The right treatment can get you back to feeling like yourself.
Where Do I Get Help?
If you’re unsure where to start, talk to your general doctor and ask for recommendations. Florida Blue can visit your Neighborhood Nurse at your local Florida Blue Center for helping in finding a mental health professional who can help you. Florida Blue works with New Directions to offer behavioral health resources to our members. You can learn more about symptoms and find support tools on their website under Resources at ndbh.com. If you ever feel like hurting yourself, you can get free, confidential help 24 hours a day by calling the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255 or via webchat at SuicidePreventionLifeline.org.