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What is a Depression Treatment Center?
Depression treatment centers are facilities that offer care for people with chronic depression. Depression is a common and serious medical illness characterized by persistent feelings of sadness, malaise, and a range of related symptoms experienced over an extended period of time, affecting the way you think, feel and function.
Untreated, depression can become a very serious health condition, unrelenting and debilitating.
Intensive Depression Treatment Centers
Intensive depression treatment centers are medical facilities that provides treatment for people suffering from depression. These intensive depression centers offer professional care in a structured environment. This structured environment provides medical helps for individuals with severe depressive symptoms. According to the World Health Organization 3.8% of the population experience depression. Worldwide approximately 280 million people suffer from depression therefore you are not alone. Sanctuary Clinics intensive depression treatment center is here for you.
For 1 in 4 American adults, depression—also called major depressive disorder and clinical depression—is a life-impairing and sometimes life-threatening medical condition. If you or someone you love is struggling, we can help.
What is depression and how is it
different from sadness
What is depression and how is it different from sadness
Sadness
- An emotion we all experience in life. It usually results from a direct situational cause—perhaps in response to loss, a sudden, drastic, or unforeseen change in life circumstances, or adversity.
- Sadness typically lasts a short time, and doesn’t significantly interfere with your normal day-to-day activities, responsibilities, and relationships.
- With sadness, there is a light at the end of the tunnel.
Depression
- Differs in that it is more than “a bout of the blues.”
- A person suffering with depression cannot simply “snap out of it.” With depression, it feels as though there is no light at the end of the tunnel—just more darkness.
- For the clinically depressed, symptoms can combine and become severe enough to impact all areas of life. Depression is serious and can become deadly if untreated.
Types of Depression
Just as there are many types of coughs—all with similarities, but each with different causes and treatments—varying types of depression have been identified by their characteristics.
Major Depression
(often called Clinical Depression) is the severe form of depression, including several signs and symptoms experienced for longer than 2 weeks.
Persistent Depressive Disorder
A longer lasting but often less intense form of depression, where a client experiences a depressed mood most of the day, for more days than not, and for 2 years or longer.
Post-partum Depression
occurs in women after delivering a baby, due to hormonal and physical changes along with stressors associated with pregnancy, delivery, and motherhood.
Seasonal Affective Disorder
Caused by decreased sunlight and colder temperatures during the winter months, typically including feelings of fatigue, increased appetite, slower thinking, and sadness.
Depression with psychosis
Occurs in about 10-15% of major depressions, including some form of psychosis, hearing voices (auditory hallucinations), seeing visions (visual hallucinations), or odd beliefs (delusions)
Depression symptoms
Depression varies person to person, but there are some common signs and symptoms to recognize. While it is important to realize that these symptoms can be part of normal life’s experience, if you’re experiencing a combination of these, and if they are intensifying and lasting more than a few weeks, you may be dealing with depression.
What should you look for? Here are 7 signs and symptoms
- Feelings of sadness, emptiness, and hopelessness. It seems as if nothing will ever improve. You can see no light at the end of the tunnel.
- Apathy towards or a diminished pleasure in life activities. You’ve lost interest in things you used to enjoy. You don’t care anymore.
- Significant changes in appetite and body weight. You’ve experienced either a marked weight gain or weight loss over a short period of time.
- Changes in your sleep pattern. Insomnia or oversleeping, you’re either not able to sleep or you’re sleeping significant hours of your life away.
- Increased anger or irritability. Your tolerance level is low, and your temper is short. Everyone and everything is getting on your nerves.
- Fatigue or a loss of energy. You always feel exhausted and even simple everyday tasks take everything out of you.
- Feelings of self-loathing, worthlessness, or guilt. You’ve become extremely critical of and disappointed with yourself, perhaps even to the point of suicidal thoughts.
Intensive care for depression
Here are some key aspects of intensive care for depression:
- Evaluation and assessment
- Medication management
- Therapy and counseling
- Structured daily routine
- Supportive environment
- Safety measures
- Discharge planning
According to the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance approximately 17.3 million American adults, or about 7.1% of the U.S. population age 18 and older struggle with depression. We can help! Call NOW and let us help you discover life beyond depression’s grip!
Do you recognize these signs and symptoms in your own life or in someone you love? You’re certainly not alone—some 19 million Americans struggle with depression each year. We can help! Call NOW and let us help you discover life beyond depression’s grip!
What causes depression?
A single, specific cause of major depression has not been identified.
There are, however, factors frequently appearing in the lives of people battling depression which may be causal, or at the very least, strongly contribute to their experience.
Here are five factors to consider:
Genes
Your genes affect every part of your body, including your mood.
Research has shown more than half of depression and bipolar sufferers have mood disorders in their family history. At the same time, it is important to note that not all sufferers have a genetic trail—so it can be a cause, but it isn’t always a cause.
Brain chemistry
Our brain is our most sensitive organ. It is impacted by everything we experience. Its chemistry changes with stimuli and response.
In other words, our perception of things and our decision making affect our brain’s chemistry. Decision making is exercise for the brain.
Life experiences
We all encounter stress in our lives, but heavy stressors—the death of a loved one, loss of a job, an unforeseen change in life circumstances—can have lasting impact.
If the stressor is long-term, like dealing with a failing marriage or severe financial pressures, it can become overwhelming.
Another life experience factor is early childhood trauma.
Studies have shown that experiencing trauma such as abuse, neglect or abandonment early in life greatly increases the risk of both depression and substance abuse as an adult.
Psychological health
The way we react emotionally and the decisions we make during stressful events are based on our perception and perspective of the event and our abilities or coping skills to make healthy decisions in challenging circumstances.
Spiritual health
Spiritual health is a vitally important piece of the puzzle.
It means viewing and interpreting all of life’s challenging circumstances through a Godly lens.
The Biblical term for this powerful neurobiological concept, as the Apostle Paul describes it, is the renewing of our mind. This renewing of our minds brings peace that passes all understanding.
How to diagnose depression disorder
There isn’t a specific medical test used to diagnose depression.
To reach this diagnosis, doctors will consider your symptoms against the list of seven symptoms above.
The DSM-5 outlines the following criterion to make a diagnosis of depression.
The individual must be experiencing five or more symptoms during the same 2-week period and at least one of the symptoms should be either (1) depressed mood or (2) loss of interest or pleasure.
Depression treatment center therapy
Therapy and medication are typically the primary treatments used in treating major depression.
Medications are prescribed to relieve symptoms while therapy can impart long-term skills to help navigate life’s stressors in a healthier way. Advances in neuroscience and other forms of therapy are also proving helpful in addressing aspects of depression.
Medications
Medical and mental health professionals prescribe antidepressants to help relieve the symptoms of depression, which is most effective when coupled with psychotherapy and other medical and therapeutic interventions. Medications often used to treat depression include:
- Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), such as fluoxetine (Prozac), escitalopram (Lexapro), or sertraline (Zoloft)
- Serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs), such as desvenlafaxine (Pristiq) or duloxetine (Cymbalta)
- Tricyclic antidepressants, such as amoxapine, doxepin, or desipramine
Psychotherapy
Psychotherapy (or Talk therapy) involves regular sessions with a mental health professional.
Your therapist can offer guidance with:
reframing or replacing negative thought patterns
learning skills to help manage and cope with distress
building a support network
developing a self-care plan
Brain Stimulation Therapy
Sometimes depression doesn’t respond to typical medication and psychotherapy. This condition is called treatment-resistant depression.
Mental health professionals may suggest brain stimulation therapies such as Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), or Fisher Wallace Stimulation (FWS) to help break through treatment resistance.
Depression Treatment Centers
Major depressive disorder is a serious condition and should be taken very seriously. Professional treatment is often the best path forward for those suffering with depression. Intensive treatment offers around-the-clock monitoring of medication effectiveness as well as providing an environment away from triggers and distractions, allowing you to focus on your health in a structured and supportive environment.
At Sanctuary Clinics, we bring together the very latest
in neuroscience, evidence-based medical and therapeutic
interventions, and the healing power and presence of
God experienced in a loving and supportive community,
providing our patients with the very best path towards
healing and wholeness. We are here to help you.
At Sanctuary Clinics, we bring together the very latest in neuroscience, evidence-based medical and therapeutic interventions, and the healing power and presence of God experienced in a loving and supportive community, providing our patients with the very best path towards healing and wholeness. We are here to help you.
What are depression’s risk factors?
Research indicates that genetic, biological, environmental, and
psychological factors can all play a role in depression.
Risk factors include
Research indicates that genetic, biological, environmental, and psychological factors can all play a role in depression.
Risk factors include
Personal or family history
of depression
Personal or family history of depression
Major life changes, trauma,
or stress
Major life changes, trauma, or stress
Certain physical illnesses
and medications
Certain physical illnesses and medications
Preventing depression
If you suffer from depression, treatment is available and effective. As most of the risk factors are beyond your control—genetics, brain chemistry, environment and so forth—most experts do not believe there is anything you can do to prevent depression.
That said, healthy living choices—diet, aerobic exercise, proper rest, avoiding alcohol and other substances, etc.—can all have positive impact on your mood.
Depression disorder FAQs
What makes Sanctuary Clinic depression treatment center different and more effective than other programs?
What are the first signs of depression?
Each of the seven symptoms listed above can present as first signs of depression, however people typically experience feelings of sadness, emptiness, hopelessness, and diminished energy for and enjoyment in life activities early on in depression’s onset.
What is a common trigger of depression?
In the context of mental health, a trigger can be anything that brings on or worsens symptoms.
Depressive episodes can be triggered by factors such as stressful events, loss, illness, lifestyle habits, and substance use.
What puts a person at risk for depression?
A risk factor is something that increases your chances of developing a disease or condition. Several factors can make depression more likely.
These may include:
- family history and genetics
- chronic stress
- history of trauma
- gender
- poor nutrition
- unresolved grief or loss
- personality traits
- medication and substance use
What age does depression affect the most?
Depression often begins in the teens, 20s or 30s, but it can happen at any age.
Here are some statistics to consider:
- Adolescents aged 12 to 17 years old had the highest rate of major depressive episodes (14.4%) followed by young adults 18 to 25 years old (13.8%). (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Association, 2018)
- Older adults aged 50 and older had the lowest rate of major depressive episodes (4.5%). (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Association, 2018)
- 11.5 million adults had a major depressive episode with severe impairment in the past year as of 2018. (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Association, 2018)
- Severe depression among college students rose from 9.4% to 21.1% from 2013 to 2018. (Journal of Adolescent Health, 2019)
- The rate of moderate to severe depression rose from 23.2% to 41.1% from 2007 to 2018. (Journal of Adolescent Health, 2019)
Can you get rid of depression?
There is no cure for depression.
In other words, you can’t just get rid of it.
But the very good news is that there is effective treatment for depression. With proper treatment, you can recover from depression and live a long and healthy life beyond depression’s grip.
