Depression:
19-20 million adults experience depression each year, but researchers estimate the numbers are much higher. Depression may be a combination of genetics, biochemical, environmental and psychological factors. Nearly two-thirds who struggle with depression do not get the help they need. Treatment can alleviate the symptoms in over 80% of the cases. Depression carries with it a high cost in terms of relationship problems, family suffering, and lost work productivity. Treatment options may include individual and group therapy, psychotropic medication, lifestyle changes that emphasize diet and exercise.
| Depression Symptom Checklist: The symptoms of depression vary widely from person to person. | ||
- Feeling low
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- Tense |
- Fatigue
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- Feeling sad
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- Agitated |
- Heviness
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- Difficulty with sleep
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- Quiet |
- Fear
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- Compulsive eating
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- Withdrawn |
- Disorganized
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- No apetite
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- Guilty |
- Cries easily
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- Low self-esteem |
- Hateful |
- Empty void |
- Hopelessness |
- Angry |
- Lie a failure |
- Obsessed with the past |
- Hoping to die |
- Unbearable |
- Hating my life |
- Plan to kill self |
- Dead inside |
- Helplessness |
- Self-critical |
- Body aches |
- Anxious |
- No motivation |
- Miserable |
- Apathetic |
- Worthless |
- Alone |
- Difficulty concentrating |
- Excessive worrying |
- Feeling of loss |
Sexual Abuse:
It is estimated that there are 60 million survivors of childhood sexual abuse in America today. A central
characteristic of any abuse is the dominant position of an adult that allows him or her to force or coerce a child into sexual activity. Long-term effects of child abuse include fear, anxiety, depression, anger, hostility, inappropriate sexual behavior, poor self esteem, tendency toward substance abuse and difficulty with close relationships. Survivors who feel compelled to keep sexual abuse a secret suffer greater psychological distress than victims who disclose the secret and receive assistance and support. As long as disclosure continues to be a problem fear, suffering, and psychological distress will, like the secret, remain with the victim. Treatment options for sexual abuse may include individual and group therapy.
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD):
PTSD is an anxiety disorder that may develop after an event that is experienced or witnessed and involved actual or perceived threat to life or physical integrity. The person’s emotional reaction to this event is characterized by horror, terror, or helplessness. People with PTSD have three major types of symptoms which typically relate to: Reexperience of the trauma, avoidance of trauma reminders and hyperarousal. The symptoms of PTSD are common right after traumatic events, but for most trauma survivors, theses symptoms decrease over time through natural recovery. For some people, the PTSD symptoms stay on, become chronic, and interfere with daily functioning. Treatment options for PTSD may include individual and group therapy and psychotropic medication.
Children and Adolescent Disorders:
Between 10% and 20% of young people at any one time have mental disorders that
are severe enough to cause significant impairment in functioning and to warrant treatment. Studies have indicated that many psychiatric disorders have an onset during childhood or adolescence, and may impair education and vocational choice.
At Transition Mental Health, services are aimed at prevention, early identification and treatment, and delaying onset. As such, we explore the factors affecting the onset or outcome of childhood disorders including influences of development, family environment, and the child’s overall adaptability and functioning in multiple environments. Treatment options for children and adolescents may include individual, group and family therapy, psychotropic medication and lifestyle changes that emphasize diet and exercise.
