Depression Counseling in Orlando, Getting Help for Depression in Orlando, Orlando Depression Counseling

According to the National Institute of Mental Health, during any 1-year period, 17.6 million American adults or 10% of the population suffer from a depressive illness. The cost in human suffering cannot be estimated. Depressive illnesses often interfere with normal functioning and cause pain and suffering not only to those who have a disorder, but also to those who care about them. Serious depression can destroy family life as well as the life of the ill person.

Possibly the saddest fact about depression is that much of this suffering is unnecessary. Most people with a depressive illness do not seek treatment, although the great majority--even those with the severest disorders--can be helped. Thanks to years of fruitful research, psychotherapy and sometimes the use of medication can ease the pain of depression.

Unfortunately, many people do not recognize that they have a treatable illness. Read this to see if you are one of the many undiagnosed depressed people in this country or if you know someone who is. The information briefly presented here may help you take the steps that may save your own or someone else's life.

A depressive disorder is a "whole-body" illness, involving your body, mood, and thoughts. It affects the way you eat and sleep, the way you feel about yourself, and the way you think about things. A depressive disorder is not the same as a passing blue mood. It is not a sign of personal weakness or a condition that can be willed or wished away. People with a depressive illness cannot merely "pull themselves together" and get better. Without treatment, symptoms can last for weeks, months, or years. Appropriate treatment, however, can help most people who suffer from depression.

Depressive disorders come in different forms, just as do other illnesses, such as heart disease. This paper briefly describes three of the most prevalent types of depressive disorders. However, within these types there are variations in the number of symptoms, their severity, and persistence.

Major depression is manifested by a combination of symptoms (see symptom list) that interfere with the ability to work, sleep, eat, and enjoy once pleasurable activities. These disabling episodes of depression can occur once, twice, or several times in a lifetime.

A less severe type of depression, dysthymia, involves long-term, chronic symptoms that do not disable, but keep you from functioning at "full steam" or from feeling good. Sometimes people with dysthymia also experience major depressive episodes.

Another type is bipolar disorder, formerly called manic-depressive illness. Not nearly as prevalent as other forms of depressive disorders, bipolar disorders involve cycles of depression and elation or mania. Sometimes the mood switches are dramatic and rapid,

but most often they are gradual. When in the depressed cycle, you can have any or all of the symptoms of a depressive disorder. Mania often affects thinking, judgment, and social behavior in ways that cause serious problems and embarrassment. For example, unwise business or financial decisions may be made when an individual is in a manic phase. Bipolar disorder is often a chronic recurring condition.

Not everyone who is depressed experiences every symptom. Some people experience a few symptoms, some many. Also, severity of symptoms varies with individuals.

If you have a combination of at least four of the above symptoms, which have lasted for two or more weeks, you may be suffering from the illness of depression. There is effective help available for treating depression, please seek professional assistance before the condition worsens.

Greg Bluestein | the Associated Press

September 7, 2007

ATLANTA - The suicide rate among preteen and young teen girls increased 76 percent, a disturbing sign that federal health officials say they can't fully explain.

For all young people from 10 to 24, the suicide rate rose 8 percent from 2003 to 2004 -- the biggest single-year increase in 15 years -- in what one official called "a dramatic and huge increase."

The report, based on the latest numbers available, was released Thursday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and suggests a troubling reversal in recent trends. Suicide rates had fallen by 28.5 percent since 1990 among young people.

The biggest increase -- about 76 percent -- was in the suicide rate for 10- to 14-year-old girls. There were 94 suicides in that age group in 2004, compared with 56 in 2003. The rate is still low -- fewer than one per 100,000 population.

Suicide rates among older teen girls, those 15 to 19, shot up 32 percent; rates for males in that age group rose 9 percent.

"In surveillance speak, this is a dramatic and huge increase," Dr. Ileana Arias said of the overall picture. She is director of the CDC's National Center for Injury Prevention and Control.

More research is needed to determine whether this is a trend or just a blip, said one child psychiatrist, Dr. Thomas Cummins of Children's Memorial Hospital in Chicago. "We all need to keep our eye on this over time to see if this is a continuing trend."

Overall, there were 4,599 suicides among young people in 2004, making it the third-leading cause of death, surpassed by car crashes and homicides, Arias said. Males committed suicide far more often than females, accounting for about three-quarters of suicides in this age group.

Total Life Care Counseling Center provides therapy for depression and support for depression in the Orlando area. We have several counselors who specialize in adult counseling for depression and teenager counseling for depression. Total Life Care Counseling Center has therapists who treat depression in Orlando, Winter Park and Clermont Florida. Call us today if you need help (407) 248-0030

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