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Organization: Henry Mayo Newhall Memorial Hospital
Date: July 7, 2008
Fighting Depression
Signs and symptoms of clinical depression include:
• Persistent sad, anxious or "empty" mood
• Sleeping too much or too little
• Reduced appetite and weight loss, or increased appetite and weight gain
• Loss of pleasure or interest in once-enjoyable activities
• Diminished ability to concentrate or remember things
• Feelings of irritability, guilt, hopelessness or worthlessness
• Thoughts of suicide or death
VALENCIA, CA (July 7, 2008) — What do job losses, mortgage defaults, and critical illnesses all have in common? Traumatic events — such as losing a home or suffering through a critical illness — result in a major shift in lifestyle and can trigger feelings of anxiety, sadness and stress. For some, symptoms become so severe that they interfere with one's social life and normal activities, thereby setting off more symptoms and leading to mental health illnesses such as clinical depression.
Mental health illnesses are painful — emotionally, spiritually and socially. The physicians and staff at Henry Mayo Newhall Memorial Hospital are promoting the awareness of mental and emotional disorders to remind everyone of the importance of taking care of their mental health and overall wellness.
"We can all feel blue or stressed at some time in our life," explains Cary Quashen, executive director of Behavioral Health Services at Henry Mayo. "But the symptoms generally only last a short time. When the sadness doesn't go away, and severe symptoms begin to develop, it's important to understand that you're dealing with an illness and, as with any illness, you should seek medical help."
Most mental health illnesses, such as depression and anxiety, are as treatable as physical health illnesses. But, unfortunately, fewer than half of the people with depression seek help because they often believe that it will go away, that it's a normal way of feeling, or they feel it's a weakness and they're too ashamed to discuss it.
"Depression causes unnecessary suffering in one's life, decreases productivity, and affects friends and loved ones, not just the individual," states Arjun Reyes, MD., medical director of Henry Mayo's Behavioral Health Unit. "With proper treatment and support, the patient can experience recovery and once again enjoy life, family and friends."
The National Mental Health Association reports that clinical depression affects more than 19 million Americans each year and results in approximately $44 billion a year in lost workdays, decreased productivity and other losses.
Dr. Reyes explained that clinical depression is characterized by sadness or irritability accompanied by several psychophysiological changes occurring two weeks or longer. The changes can range from a loss of appetite, sexual desire, sleep, and the ability to experience pleasure in work or with family and friends, to experiencing bouts of crying, suicidal thoughts, and inability to concentrate or think clearly.
The Behavioral Health Unit at Henry Mayo treats mental health patients 18 years of age and older in a modern 23-bed facility. In addition, patients can receive emergency crisis intervention at the hospital's Emergency Department. For more information about the Henry Mayo's Behavioral Health services, visit www.henrymayo.com. For more information on mental health illnesses, visit the Mental Health America's web site at www.nmha.org.
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ABOUT HENRY MAYO — Henry Mayo Newhall Memorial Hospital is a 221 bed not-for-profit acute care hospital serving the Santa Clarita Valley since 1975. Services include trauma, emergency, intensive care, maternity, surgery, nursing, wound care, behavioral health, and acute rehab, as well as cancer, cardiology, imaging, lab, digestive, respiratory services and physical and occupational therapies. Henry Mayo Newhall Memorial Hospital is located at 23845 McBean Parkway, Valencia, CA 91355-2083. For more information, visit www.henrymayo.com or call 661-253-8000.
