Behavioral Health
Open the Conversation
Depression and anxiety can make you feel powerless, but there are ways to gain a greater sense of control. Whether it’s asking your doctor questions about your state of mind or sharing feelings with loved ones, it’s important to discuss your mental health.
About depression
Depression is a serious illness that involves the brain’s chemistry. Symptoms range from mild to severe and can vary from person to person. If left untreated, depression can rob people of their ability to fully participate in daily activities and even threaten their physical health.About anxiety
Anxiety disorders cause people to experience powerful and persistent worry, which can turn into panic. Anxiety can lead to physical symptoms, such as rapid heartbeat, sweating, and an intense “fight or flight” sensation. An estimated 40 million American adults live with anxiety.
FAST FACTS
Where do you fit in?
There’s a lot to know about depression and anxiety and we are here to help. What you learn from these fast facts could give you the tools you need – to take the next step toward self-care, advocate for a loved one, or to seek help for yourself.
Depression: Did you know?
•Experiencing occasional sadness and “blue” days does not necessarily mean you will be diagnosed with depression.
•Clinical depression (or “major depressive disorder”) is defined as a mood disorder that causes persistent feelings of sadness and a loss of interest in daily activities.
•If your depressed mood is long-lasting, begins to feel overwhelming, causes physical symptoms, and/or interferes with your normal routine, it’s time to talk to your doctor or a mental health professional.
•Research shows that both genetics (family history) and environmental factors (life experiences, stressors, etc.) play a role in depression.
•Depression is among the most treatable of mental illnesses. Between 80% and 90% percent of people with depression eventually respond well to treatment. Talk therapy, medications, self-help strategies, and other types of clinical help have proven very effective for millions of people diagnosed with depression.
Anxiety: Did you know?
•Nervousness happens to everybody, and can actually be productive in certain situations. When nervousness becomes frequent, feels frightening, and interferes with daily activities, it might be a sign of a clinical anxiety disorder.
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Generalized anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder, phobias, and separation anxiety are all types of anxiety disorders.
•People can be diagnosed with more than one type of anxiety disorder.
•Most people who develop anxiety disorders show symptoms by the time they reach the age of 21.
•Research indicates that a family history of anxiety raises a person’s risk for developing an anxiety disorder. In addition, trauma and extreme stress can make someone more vulnerable to anxiety disorders.
- Depression doesn’t affect everyone the same way. Experiencing some or all of these warning signs over an extended period of time might mean it’s time to talk to a healthcare professional.
- Sadness (or sadness that feels unusual for you)
- Loss of interest or pleasure in activities you used to enjoy
- Change in weight
- Difficulty sleeping, or oversleeping
- Energy loss
- Problems concentrating or making decisions
- Feelings of worthlessness
- Thoughts of death or suicide
- Persistent nervousness and restlessness
- Feelings of impending danger or doom
- Elevated heart rate
- Hyperventilation
- Sweating
- Trembling
- Fatigue
- Sleeplessness
- Difficulty controlling worry and nervousness
- Concentration problems
Are you depressed?
Take this short quiz to see if you or someone you care about may have depression.