Help for adult depression is all about fast, accurate diagnosis and treatment, as depression is a serious medical problem that affects not only one’s mood and ability to enjoy life, but can–if left untreated–result in suicidal thoughts, attempts and actual deaths. The good news is that, with modern methods, depression can be lifted!
A psychologist in Dubai at OCP Medical Center understands that help for adult depression begins with a thorough examination, in which lab tests are performed to “rule out other conditions that may have the same symptoms.” Next, the professional inquires about “certain medications…(being taken) that may affect the patient’s mood.” A “complete history of symptoms” tells your psychologist “when the depression started, how longs it’s been active, how bad (have been) the symptoms, if it’s occurred before, and how it was treated then.” And, your OCP Medical Center psychologist will ask “if there is a family history of depression.”
With the results of your exam, lab tests, and interview in hand, your psychologist can now make a diagnosis, which is based on the severity and longevity of your symptoms. You may have “major depression” if your intense symptoms have almost totally interrupted–often more than once–your “ability to work, sleep, eat, study, and enjoy most aspects of life.” You will be diagnosed with “dysthymia” if your limitations have been “less severe,” but have “lasted 2 years or longer.” Or, a “minor depression”–which seems less dramatic and hasn’t interfered with your daily functioning nearly as much, or as long–may be assumed.
Our psychologist at OCP Medical Center can now give you the symptom check-list to which he/she referred in order to name your depression type.:
- “sadness, tearfulness, emptiness or hopelessness,”
- intense anger and irritability “even over small matters,”
- “loss of interest” in most previously enjoyed activities and/or people, such as “sex, hobbies, children/friends/grandchildren, or sports,”
- sleeping too much or too little,
- daytime “fatigue and lack of energy,” so that even little tasks seem overwhelming,
- eating too much or too little,
- feeling uncharacteristic “anxiety, agitation and/or restlessness,”
- “speech, thinking and movement” that are unnaturally “slow,”
- feeling unwarranted and intense “guilt and self-blame,”
- repeated references to oneself as “a failure,”
- “unexplained physical problems,” such as overall body aches, headaches and stomach discomfort,
- difficulties “remembering, concentrating and making decisions,” and/or
- Uncontrollable and repeated thoughts/attempts of “death and suicide.”
Our psychologist may also explain that depression is caused by a “combination of” genetics (Those with a “family history” are more likely to suffer.), brain chemistry (“The brains of sufferers look different on scans.”), and stress (Deaths of those closest, relationship problems, and job loss may trigger symptoms.). Your psychologist may add that depression is experienced differently by men than women, in that men may be “more likely to feel very tired and irritable, and lose interest in work, family and hobbies.” And, congratulating a male patient on having the insight and courage to seek help–as appearing vulnerable is much more difficult for men–is not unheard of at OCP Medical Center. Staff wants so much to help, because depression is a “very real and treatable illness.”
Your OCP Medical Center, Dubai, psychologist may suggest–if “minor depression” has been diagnosed–that treatment focus on talk therapy, during which “new types of thinking and behaving” are introduced. Alternative ways of viewing and reacting to people and problems often help ease the relationship and job-site issues negatively affecting the patient. Or, your psychologist may recommend adding one or two of the new anti-depressant medications–which balance brain chemistry and have few side effects–to your treatment program. If you decide to try medication(s), your OCP Medical Center professionals will carefully monitor your reactions–and your progress–to “minimize any risks.”
Please contact us if you believe you are experiencing the symptoms described above. We offer a thorough, and very personalized, approach to helping you beat depression.