Find Local Treatment Options
Call 800-481-6320 to speak with an alcohol or drug abuse counselor.Who Answers?

The Dangers of Depression and the Need for Treatment

Feeling sad or blue every now and then can be expected considering the fast-paced lifestyle of today. When these feelings become more so the norm than the exception, some form of psychological disorder may be at work.

Compared to other conditions, depression ranks as the most prevalent mental health problem in the United States. According to the Washington University School of Medicine, an estimated 17.5 million Americans live with some form of depression. Of this number, as many as 9.2 million suffer from severe or clinical depression.

Depression develops out of a state of chemical imbalance in the brain that persists over time. When left untreated, this imbalance worsens leaving a person open to developing even more serious conditions.

Depression Disorders

Whenever feelings of any sort start to impair a person’s quality of life in terms of being able to sleep, work, eat or feel some sense of satisfaction, psychological dysfunction is more often than not the culprit. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, depression disorders encompass a range of types and severities, including:

  • Major depression
  • Persistent depressive disorder
  • Psychotic depression
  • Seasonal affective disorder
  • Postpartum depression

While certain types of depression tend to develop under specific circumstances, such as postpartum and seasonal affective forms, the overall effects on a person’s daily life remain the same.

Risk Factors Associated with Depression

depression dangers

Noticeable weight changes are a symptom of depression.

The dangers of depression develop gradually over time perpetuated by the brain’s state of chemical imbalance and the corresponding thinking, emotional and behavioral patterns that only work to reinforce the condition. Common symptoms of depression include:

  • Loss of interest in previously enjoyed activities
  • Problems sleeping
  • Fatigue
  • Agitation
  • Muddled thinking
  • Suicidal ideations
  • Noticeable changes in weight

As depression’s effects on the brain tend to be progressive, someone who experiences a depression episode is twice as likely to experience another episode in the future compared to people unaffected by the condition, according to the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention. With each episode, symptoms only become more severe, which places suffers at increasing risk of self-harm.

Dual Diagnosis Disorder

An estimated two-thirds of people suffering from depression neglect to seek out needed treatment help. Not surprisingly, untreated depression can easily become a springboard for substance abuse behaviors to develop as a person attempts to self-medicate symptoms of depression with alcohol and drugs. Once the effects of the drug wears off, he or she is left feeling worse than before, which only prompts continued drug use.

Someone struggling with both depression and a substance abuse problem has developed a dual diagnosis condition. Like depression, substance abuse in any form causes brain chemical imbalances to form. In effect, depression and the effects of substance abuse tend to aggravate one another, worsening the severity of both conditions over time, according to the University of Utah Health Services.

Dual Diagnosis

Treatment Considerations

In spite of the emotional turmoil depression brings, these conditions can be easy to overlook or ignore considering the stigma attached to mental illness in general. That being so, ignoring the problem only predisposes a person to the dangers of depression and the downward spiral that ensues.

The good news is depression is a treatable condition with a high success rate. Ultimately, getting needed treatment help can make all the difference in the world as far as your quality of life goes.

If you or someone you know struggles with ongoing feelings of depression and are considering getting help, please don’t hesitate to call our toll-free helpline at 800-481-6320Who Answers? for more information on depression treatment or to locate treatment programs in your area.

More Rehab Centers Resources

Restoring Relationships in Recovery

family relationships

According to the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment,” Family therapy grew from a perceived need to bring to the therapy session respect and attention to each individual’s needs, interests, expressions, and worth.” These same interests can also be said about any other healthy relationship. In the throes of addiction, addicts often lose sight of the….

Continue reading

Affordable Treatment Options in Alcohol Rehab

alcohol rehab

More oftentimes than not, not finding affordable treatment help becomes the number one reason why people don’t get the help they need. As with any form of medical care, the costs of alcohol rehab treatment can be expensive and continue to rise with each passing year. Without adequate health insurance coverage, many people are left….

Continue reading

How to Help a Friend onto the Road to Recovery

According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, there are a vast variety of treatments available for substance abuse problems. The hard part is not the treatment but watching a friend struggle with the challenges of drug abuse and addiction. Most people feel helpless to do anything for their friend. Fortunately, there are ways to….

Continue reading

Are Addiction Treatment Programs Worth Their Cost

addiction treatment

When deciding on whether to go to an addiction treatment program, cost is definitely a factor. Most addiction treatment programs are relatively expensive, and only the individual in treatment can decide if a specific addiction treatment program is worth the cost. In order to decide whether addiction programs are worth their cost, a person should….

Continue reading

What Can the Music Industry Teach You about Recovery from Addiction?

People in the music industry—artists, managers, agents, label executives, lawyers, etc.—are often held accountable for encouraging addiction. It seems there have always been lyrics that celebrate getting drunk and getting high. Authors of the research study “Content Analysis of Tobacco, Alcohol, and Other Drugs in Popular Music” determined that kids are receiving roughly 35 references….

Continue reading

How Rehab Centers Treat Xanax Addiction

prescription drug abuse consequences

Xanax belongs to a family of drugs known as benzodiazepines. Benzodiazepines do a good job at relieving symptoms of anxiety and stress in general. Drugs in this class also carry a risk of addiction when not taken as prescribed or used for recreational purposes. According to American Family Physician, one to two percent of the….

Continue reading

Early Warning Signs of Domestic Violence

Close relationships expose partners to the very best and the very worst that each has to offer. While the occasional argument or disagreement can be expected within any ongoing relationship, abusive behavior towards another develops out of a misuse of power and control. Domestic violence operates within a fear-based relationship structure that can be physical,….

Continue reading

How to Help an Alcoholic Husband

Find help for your alcoholic husband today!

It can be very troublesome to watch your husband, the absolute love of your life, drink his life away to mere disaster but how can you help? Many wives struggle with the idea of trying to find help for an alcoholic husband who has simply spiraled out of control and, although some do muster up….

Continue reading

Still can't find the help you are looking for?Get Started Now
Accepted Insurances / View the full list
For inquiries call 800-481-6320 Who Answers?

Accepted Insurances Does My Insurance
Cover This?

Where do calls go?

Calls to numbers on a specific treatment center listing will be routed to that treatment center. Calls to any general helpline (non-facility specific 1-8XX numbers) will be answered or returned by one of the treatment providers listed below, each of which is a paid advertiser:

ARK Behavioral Health

By calling the helpline you agree to the terms of use. We do not receive any commission or fee that is dependent upon which treatment provider a caller chooses. There is no obligation to enter treatment.

I NEED TO TALK TO SOMEONE NOWI NEED TO TALK TO SOMEONE NOW800-481-6320
Who Answers?

Pin It on Pinterest

Shares