Depressed? Seems Worse Since COVID, is it just me?

Depression is consistently one of the leading reasons people seek a primary care physician. My clinical experience, and that of many of my colleagues, is that we have seen much more depression, anxiety, drug and alcohol abuse, since the onset of COVID than in any previous time in our careers. Prior to COVID, it was believed that depression affects 5-10% of the population, and everyone is at risk. Depression risk is increased with chronic medical conditions, a prior personal history of depression, a family history of depression, alcohol dependence, recent or prior childhood trauma, recent childbirth.

If you are experiencing two or more of the following symptoms daily for a 2-week period you may have depression:

• Feeling tired
• Sadness
• Changes in appetite (overeating /eating too little)
• Non-intentional weight gain or loss
• I will not go into specifics for this article about individual treatments options. Options are numerous. The key takeaway is that treatment is available. The exact treatment course is best determined by you and your physician. Please know that help is available and remission, meaning not feeling depressed, is an achievable goal. Treatment can include medications. There are many different types, and just because one did not work, or caused side effects, does not mean that you will not have an excellent response to another therapeutic agent. In addition, psychotherapy is a useful approach independent of medicine use or in conjunction with its use.
• Treatment should last for at least 6-12 months to prevent relapse.
• It is important to stay engaged with your doctor and closely follow up with your healthcare team to let them know of side effects or inadequate responses to get you back on track to feeling better.
• There are things you can do to help the process of feeling better: getting exercise, practicing mindfulness, relaxation, meditation, yoga.
• If you feel you may harm yourself or need help, call 911 or go to the emergency department right away. Don't be afraid to ask for help!
• Trouble sleeping or sleeping too much
• Feelings of guilt or worthlessness
• Difficulty concentrating
• Thoughts of suicide or that you would be better off dead

Depression Treatment

Here are additional helpful resources:

https://medlineplus.gov/depression.html

https://medlineplus.gov/languages/depression.html

https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/depression/index.shtml

https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/depression/what-is-depression

Link to original article written by Dr. Douglas Hilbert Here

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