What Is Clinical Depression?

Many people with mental health disorders often turn to drugs to cope. So what is clinical depression? In short, the discomfort of mental illness leads some people to use drugs to mask the pain. Two common disorders that are prevalent among substance abusers are depression and anxiety. If you have turned to drugs for these conditions, then depression and anxiety treatment in Jacksonville FL is the answer to your problem.

What is Clinical Depression?

Some people misunderstand clinical depression. For example, they think that feeling down constitutes a diagnosis of depression. However, when defining what is clinical depression, it’s important to understand the medical explanation.

While depression can range in intensity, a person is not diagnosed with clinical depression unless the symptoms meet certain criteria. For example, some people suffer after a life-altering event such as divorce occurs. During this time, they may feel lethargic, sad, and depressed for an extended period. However, they may be experiencing a mild form of depression.

An explanation of clinical depression usually relies on the symptom criteria used for major depressive disorder in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5). The symptoms of clinical depression include:

• Feeling extremely sad, empty, or hopeless
• Giving way to tearfulness
• Angry and irritable or easily frustrated
• Loss of interest or pleasure in most or all normal activities, such as sex, hobbies or sports
• Sleep disorders, including insomnia or too much sleep
• Fatigue, which makes everyday activities take longer
• Appetite changes
• Anxiety, agitation, or restlessness
• Difficulty concentrating
• Feelings of worthlessness or guilt, difficulty leaving problems of the past behind you
• Trouble making decisions and remembering things
• Frequent or recurrent thoughts of death or suicide
• Unexplained physical problems, such as back pain or headaches

What Causes Clinical Depression?

While there isn’t any clear cut cause for depression, there are some factors that may play a part. These include biological issues, brain chemistry, changes in hormones, as well as a genetic link. Of course, some people are more at risk of developing clinical depression. Some of the risk facts are:

• Trauma or stress in your life
• Having a relative with a history of mental illness
• Chronic medical conditions
• History of mental health disorders
• History of substance abuse

Hope for Clinical Depression

If you are wondering what is clinical depression and feel you may have that condition, then you are not alone. There is hope for those affected by this disorder. At Beaches Recovery, our expert staff has the tools to assist clinically depressed people. Our many treatment programs and therapies offer a solution for those struggling with mental health disorders as well as substance abuse. Some of the therapies we provide include:

• Trauma therapy
• Mindfulness training
• PTSD therapy
• Experiential therapy
• EMDR

Don’t let mental health and addiction control your life. Find out more about what is clinical depression is by going to a quality drug rehab that offers a dual diagnosis. Contact us at 866.605.0532 and we’ll help you through this difficult time.