Progressive Progressive Medical Center - 2019 | Page 28

DEPRESSION IS NOT YOUR FAULT
DEPRESSION
IS NOT YOUR
FAULT
BY: SAIRA GILLANI, ND
DEPRESSION IS THE BODY’S SIGNAL THAT
SOMETHING IS WRONG—PHYSICALLY,
BIOCHEMICALLY, OR EMOTIONALLY.
P
eople with depression often avoid talking about
their symptoms, hesitate before seeking help,
or speak about their symptoms with shame,
sometimes believing that their depressive
symptoms somehow reflect their strength or character.
Of course, this is not true. I’d like to walk through
some symptoms and causes of depression. And more
importantly, I’d like to make it completely understood
that depression is the body’s signal that something is
wrong—physically, biochemically, or emotionally. It is not
the body’s signal that you are weak, flawed, or inferior.
Depression includes symptoms such as sadness, despair,
anxiety, emptiness, discouragement, hopelessness,
having no feelings, loss of interest or pleasure in
activities, sleeping too much or not enough, a decrease
or increase in appetite, agitation, fatigue, low energy,
a decreased ability to concentrate or make decisions,
feelings of worthlessness, or thoughts of suicide.
The majority of these symptoms are normal, healthy, human
emotions, and it is important to attempt to recognize why
they are occurring. When something bad happens, or if
you are going through a difficult time, some symptoms
of depression are normal and expected. It can eventually
resolve on its own or may require some type of talk therapy.
Talk therapy can be accomplished by speaking with friends
or family or speaking to a professional counselor or therapist.
But what if the symptoms don’t go away? What if they’re
getting worse? What if you can’t identify a reasonable cause?
What if talk therapy isn’t working? Then it is possible that
something deeper is happening in your body causing clinical
depression. And while I think regular counseling is always
appropriate and helpful, it may only be part of the solution.
You cannot simply talk your way out of clinical depression.
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