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Depression services offered in Houston, TX
Depression rates have reached new highs, with the latest polls indicating that 29% of Americans have been diagnosed with it at some point in their life. At Lifespan Psychiatry & Wellness Center, responsive psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner Vivian Young, PMHNP, takes the time to understand her patients. She provides all-encompassing mental health care, including medication management and supportive care, in the Houston, Texas, office, and telehealth is also available after the first evaluation. Book your appointment online or call the office today.
Depression Q & A
How is depression different from normal sadness?
It’s natural to experience happiness, sadness, indifference, and other feelings based on what happens in your life. Usually, these emotions change and flow, with no particular state lasting for an excessive period of time.
Major depressive disorder, or depression, is different. It features almost constant sadness. Many people say depression feels like a relentlessly heavy burden on their mind.
Depression doesn’t ebb and flow like ordinary sadness. It continues and tends to take over your life, whereas normal sadness usually lessens or fades relatively quickly.
When do I need help with depression?
Deciding when it’s time to reach out for help can be challenging, but the main thing to remember is that sadness that doesn’t relent or lighten within two weeks could actually be depression. Some common signs of depression are:
- Ongoing sadness
- Feelings of worthlessness
- Self-blame
- Loss of interest in your favorite activities
- Getting no pleasure from things you once liked
- Appetite increase or decrease, with weight gain or loss
- Insomnia or sleeping far more than necessary
- Low energy
- Lack of concentration
- Slower speech or movements (observed by your loved ones or others)
With depression, every day feels like a bad one. Symptoms may vary, but most people with depression have multiple symptoms that significantly affect their ability to get through day-to-day life.
Bipolar disorder II features depressive phases, which are periods of depression that last two weeks or longer. While major depressive disorder and bipolar II are both mood disorders, they’re separate conditions.
How is depression treated?
If you’re living with depression, there’s great hope: About 80-90% of people respond positively to treatment, and the American Psychiatric Association calls it one of the most treatable mental health disorders.
Lifespan Psychiatry & Wellness Center believes that a whole-patient approach is the best way to reach optimal treatment outcomes for patients with depression.
Treatment focuses on stabilizing brain chemicals that affect your mood through medications such as antidepressants — but the medication is only one aspect of your psychiatric care.
You also get supportive care, such as lifestyle guidance and coping techniques, that work in tandem with your medication. After your first appointment in the office, you can have telehealth visits.
You deserve depression care that’s customized for you, so don’t wait to call Lifespan Psychiatry & Wellness Center or click online scheduling now.