Everyone occasionally feels blue. It’s common to feel sad or discouraged after a heart attack, for example, or if you’re trying to manage a chronic condition. You may be facing new limits on what you can do and feel anxious about how effective your treatment will be. It may be hard to cope with the changes and ongoing treatment that come with your diagnosis.
Chronic stress in childhood in the form of severe poverty, exposure to violence, living in a home with substance-abusing adults, or other stressful situations can lead to illness and increase the risk of physical and mental problems when children grow into adulthood. Early stress also impacts how adults care for their children when they become parents, which in turn affects the next generation.
If feelings of sadness don’t pass within a couple of weeks, you may have depression, a common but serious illness. Depression interferes with daily life and causes pain for both you and those who care about you. Many people with a depressive illness never seek treatment. But the majority, even those with the most severe depression, can get better with treatment. Medications, psychotherapies, and other methods can effectively treat people with depression.
If you have depression, you may feel exhausted, helpless, and hopeless. It may be extremely difficult to take any action to help yourself. But as you begin to recognize your depression and begin treatment, you’ll start to feel better.
- Don’t wait too long to get evaluated or treated. Treatment options include medication, psychotherapy, and brain stimulation therapies.
- Try to be active and exercise.
- Try to spend time with other people and confide in a trusted friend or relative.
- Expect your mood to improve gradually, not immediately.
Just as you may sometimes feel sad, occasional anxiety is a normal part of life. You might feel anxious when faced with a problem at work, before taking a test, or making an important decision. But anxiety disorders involve more than temporary worry or fear. For a person with an anxiety disorder, the anxiety doesn’t go away and can get worse over time. The feelings can interfere with daily activities such as job performance, school work, and relationships.
There are several different types of anxiety disorders that include generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, and social anxiety disorder. Some physical health conditions, such as an overactive thyroid or low blood sugar, as well as taking certain medications, can imitate or worsen an anxiety disorder. Anxiety disorders often occur with other related conditions, such as depression or obsessive-compulsive disorder. Anxiety disorders are generally treated with medication, psychotherapy, or both. Some people might benefit from joining a self-help or support group, while others use stress management techniques and meditation.
Courtesy of NIMH