Depression

The symptoms of depression can vary dramatically from person to person, but usually involve some combination of the following: sleeping more than usual, inability to sleep, a sense of hopelessness, pessimism about the future, an inner critic that won’t leave you alone, an inability to take pleasure in things you used to enjoy, feeling “checked out,” reacting with anger or irritability, isolation, emotional eating or loss of appetite, or persistent sadness. Any one of us can have a bad day, a bad week, or a “tough semester.” That’s human. However, if you’ve been experiencing some of the symptoms mentioned above for more than a few weeks or months it may be time to take a closer look. You’re here because you know you deserve better. It may be situational, meaning that you’ve hit upon a circumstance in your life that has simply overwhelmed your coping skills that you’ve always been able to rely upon. There may also be a genetic predisposition that means your brain simply produces or transmits certain chemical transmitters differently. Or, you may have a family/relationship history that involved traumatic experiences or prolonged periods of neglect, abuse, or loss. Untreated trauma can often result in symptoms of depression.

Depression is complicated and there are often many factors at play. The important thing to remember is there are ways to resolve these symptoms beginning with something as small as naming it with another person -- this has been shown to reduce the intensity of such negative feelings. Let’s put a name to it and start finding the path out of that darkness.