What is depression?

What is Depression?
Symptoms CAN but do not HAVE to include:

• Waking up too early despite being tired.
• Eating less, low appetite, or not enjoying food as before.
• Not enjoying things as before, difficulty finding joy in things liked before.
• Difficulty feeling happy, tearful, feeling sad most of the day or most days.
• Feeling very regretful, or guilty over things that you should not feel guilty about which leads to not being able to relax, or improve mood due to this. This could also be taking blame or feeling shameful for things that are likely not your fault.
• Feeling irritable, moody.
• Low energy, low motivation, not having the energy to do things like you were able to before.
• Feeling like you are moving slow, thinking slow, or talking slow.
• Feeling like you can’t remember things as well as before, feeling like you are getting confused easily, having trouble concentrating like before.
• Feeling hopeless or like there is no point in life.
• Feeling like you want to end your life, or everyone would be better off if you weren’t around.

Severe Depression may include:

• Hallucinations: Hearing voices or seeing things that no one else hears/sees.
• Feeling very paranoid that someone is out ot get you.
• Having thoughts that everyone is telling you is untrue, but you are not able to believe your trusted loved ones.

Serotonin
Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that we naturally have in our brain. Cells in our brain use serotonin to help regulate our mood and anxiety. Having enough serotonin helps our brain cells regulate our mood. Not having enough serotonin have hinder how well we can regulate our mood. That means it can be harder to recover from feeling sad. Sadness is a normal emotion and part of the human experience. But the ability to regulate sadness and recover from sadness, partially relies on Serotonin.

Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs) such as Prozac, Zoloft, Lexapro, Celexa and Paxil, help keep Serotonin in the synapse between brain cells, to help brain cells restore our mood better.

Prozac is the brand name for Fluoxetine
Zoloft is the brand name for Sertraline
Lexapro is the brand name for Escitalopram
Celexa is the brand name for Citalopram
Paxil is the brand name for Paroxetine

It is important to meet with a Psychiatrist (MD or DO) to discuss whether you have depression and if a medication can be helpful for your depression. Medications often work better when talk therapy is also part of the treatment plan. Often you can get an appointment with a talk therapist (aka psychotherapist) first while waiting for an appointment with your Psychiatrist.

Nurse Practitioners and Physician Assistants may refer to themselves as doctors, but do not have the same amount of training (usually 10% the amount of hours an MD/DO has.) They can help you start on the right path, or if working closely with a physician can help you decide on a medication.

You can also see your PCP to get started on these medications while waiting for an appointment with a Psychiatrist to continue the management of a medication.

For educational purposes only, and not to replace a personalized evaluation with a physician psychiatrist.

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