Addiction Recovery Basics

It is believed that about 10 percent of the general population suffers from clinical depression. The mixture of depression and addiction is very common, in fact there is a seperate diagnosis called substance induced depression. For cases like this, stopping the addictive behavior can significantly reduce, if not eliminate the depression.
The combination of a mental health problem such as depression in conjunction with an addiction problem is called a co-occurring disorder. Clinical depression,like addiction, has no bias toward race, gender or socio-economic class. Depression can even occur in children who are as young as five or six. Clinical depression symptoms generally will not go away on their own. It is important that people who are experiencing clinical depression symptoms visit their doctors. Clinical depression symptoms require some form of treatment.

Here is a list of some of the most common clinical depression symptoms:

* Persistent sadness

* Lack of interest in activities that were once enjoyed

* Loss of appetite

* Sleep problems

* Unable to concentrate

* Aches * Pains

* Memory problems

* Helplessness

* Hopelessness

* Fatigue

*Tearful

* Irritability

* Weight loss

* Weight gain

* Guilt

* Indecisiveness

* Suicidal thoughts

Clinical depression symptoms may seem to come out of nowhere and it may develop slowly with no trigger points. Alternatively, clinical depression may be triggered by an event in a person’s life, or it could be a byproduct of another disorder. There are some people who deal with bouts of clinical depression off and on their entire lives. Other people may only have one episode of clinical depression and never be bothered by it again.

It is believed that up to 65 percent of people who have depression do not seek out treatment. There are a myriad of reasons why people may not seek out treatment for their clinical depression symptoms. Some people believe it will go away on its own. Other people may believe that having depression is a sign of personal weakness. There are those who also believe that being depressed is a spiritual problem. Some people do not seek out treatment for their clinical depression symptoms because they fear the medication. It is unfortunate that people who have depression feel they have to live with it. Living with depression is not easy and it can be dangerous.

Clinical depression symptoms should not be ignored. Sometimes depression is a symptom of another problem such as a physical disease or disorder. Allowing depression to run its course can backfire if the person should happen to go into a deeper depression and/or to have suicidal thoughts or tendencies. New medications are constantly evolving, such as Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors. The medications in this class of drugs generally have fewer side effects than the depression medication of the 1950’s and 1960’s. In addition, they are not thought to be addictive.

Clinical depression is treatable in nearly 70-80 percent of individuals. It should be noted that it can take up to six weeks before a person feels the full affect of their medication. However, some people do report that they feel some relief in a few of their symptoms within a week of starting a SSRI. If you suspect that someone you know is dealing with depression you should be supportive of him or her. You should not criticize the person. Listen to the person and be sympathetic to what he or she says. Remember, people who are suffering from depression may be antisocial or irritable. Do not take it personally if your friend or loved one says something critical to you. Also, do not blame yourself for someone else’s depression. What you can do is be there for them and encourage them to go to their doctor for an evaluation.

You can even offer to arrange the appointment and accompany them there. Many times a little support is all it takes for a person to get the treatment they need for their clinical depression symptoms.

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