"Depression weighs you down like a rock in a river… you'll never know true happiness until someone or something pulls you back out of that river--and you'll never believe it until you realize it was you, yourself who saved you.” ― Alysha Speer
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Depression is more than a passing low mood. It is a serious brain disorder that can have a severe negative impact on your function and quality of life. Even if you are able to go to work and engage in your regular activities, depression can sap your motivation and drain the pleasure out of everything. At worst, it can be debilitating, and can even make you question whether life is worth living at all.
If you have depression, you are not alone. In the United States, 21 million adults and about 4 million adolescents ages 12-17 live with depression. Only about 40% of people with depression get treatment at all, and only 25% get treatment that could be considered even minimally adequate. Untreated or inadequately treated depression is one of the leading causes of disability in the United States and the world. Fortunately, effective treatment for depression is available.
At Owl & Eagle Health and Wellness in Golden and Greenwood Village, Colorado, our team of board-certified psychiatric nurse practitioners and psychotherapists offer highly effective treatments for depression, including treatment-resistant depression. Our holistic approach doesn’t just start and stop with antidepressant medication. We get to know you, and custom design a treatment plan combining the most up-to-date psychopharmacological treatments, psychotherapy, Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS), ketamine assisted therapy, nutritional interventions, stress management, sleep management, exercise, vitamins, supplements, and other integrative interventions that will not only treat your depression effectively, but will help you achieve maximal mental and physical wellness.
If you are interested in holistic psychiatric treatment for depression at Owl & Eagle Health and Wellness in Golden or Greenwood Village, Colorado, Contact Us with questions or Book Now to request an in-person or telehealth intake appointment today.
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Depression Q &A
What causes depression?
Depression is caused by three main factors:
1) Genetics. If someone in your immediate family (parents, siblings, or children) has depression, you are 1.5-3 times more likely to have it yourself.
2) Trauma and psychological stressors. Adverse experiences such as poverty, violence, abuse, and discrimination increase risk for depression for decades afterward.
3) Other health problems. Chronic physical illness, substance abuse, and medication side effects can also increase risk for depression.
What are the symptoms of depression?
Symptoms of depression can include sadness, tearfulness, negative thoughts, loss of motivation, lack of interest in activities, lack of pleasure from activities that are usually enjoyable, reduced energy level, sleeping more or less than usual, increased or decreased appetite, feelings of hopelessness or helplessness, feeling like a failure or disappointment, trouble with memory or concentration that is worse than usual, and movements or speech that are either slowed down and sluggish or sped up and agitated. Sometimes people with depression are able to go through the motions of their normal activities despite these symptoms, and sometimes they aren’t able to do normal activities at all. In some cases, people with depression may wish they didn’t exist, or may have thoughts of harming or killing themselves.
There are multiple subtypes of depression, including Major Depressive Disorder, Persistent Depressive Disorder, Peripartum Depression, and Seasonal Affective Disorder. Episodes of depression can also occur in other disorders, such as Bipolar or Schizoaffective Disorder. Each subtype presents differently, and responds to different treatments. Accurate diagnosis can be essential to creating an effective treatment plan. The board certified psychiatric nurse practitioners and psychotherapists at Owl & Eagle Health and Wellness have extensive experience and expertise in diagnosing and treating all types of depression.
How is depression treated?
At Owl & Eagle Health and Wellness, our team of board certified psychiatric nurse practitioners and psychotherapists use a holistic approach combining cutting edge medical treatments with psychotherapy, nutritional psychiatry, and other integrative treatments to maximize treatment efficacy. Mild depression can sometimes be treated solely with non-pharmacological treatments such as psychotherapy, exercise, good sleep hygiene, vitamins, supplements, and increasing social activities. For moderate to severe depression, medication can be very helpful. Medications for depression usually have very manageable side effects, and most resolve in the first weeks of treatment.
Genetic differences can make some people respond better to certain medications rather than others. We select medications using clinical guidelines, our clinical judgment, and your preferences, but we sometimes need to try multiple medications to find the one that works the best with the fewest side effects. We can also use genetic testing to help identify which medications are more or less likely to be effective and well tolerated for you.
If depression does not fully resolve after trying two or more medications, it is considered treatment resistant. Ketamine Assisted Therapy and Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) are safe, highly effective treatments for treatment resistant depression, and can be added to your treatment plan. The vast majority of patients we treat for depression are able to effectively control their symptoms and achieve meaningful recovery, returning to normal or even improved levels of function and wellness.
If you would like to learn more about holistic psychiatric treatment for depression at Owl & Eagle Health and Wellness in Golden or Greenwood Village, Colorado, Contact Us with questions or Book Now to request an in-person or telehealth intake appointment today.
Sources
https://www.mentalhealth.gov/basics/mental-health-myths-facts
https://mhanational.org/mentalhealthfacts
https://www.nami.org/About-Mental-Illness/Mental-Health-Conditions/Depression