age is really just a number

Part Two: Depression

In Part 1 of this series, we discussed the problem of pervasive fatigue and some real medical reasons why you may be fatigued. 

So, if you have been to your doctor and ruled out anemia, thyroid issues, menopause, auto-immune diseases, and infection…..and you still feel overwhelmingly fatigued after getting 8 to 10 hours of quality sleep, keep reading. 

Another sadly common cause of overwhelming fatigue can be depression. Don’t stop reading. Information is power! Depression has no discrimination for education level, socioeconomic status or marital status. Almost 30% of women will experience some form of depression or anxiety disorder during their lifetime. 

Let me start with that I am not a psychiatrist and I don’t even play one on TV; but I do know that there is a difference between true clinical depression and normal response to a crazy stressful life. 

The symptoms of depression are often experienced by normal people in response to being under extreme pressure. Usually, we recognize the cause of our funk, fix it (or live through it) and then get back to normal. This is not depression. This is life. So, if you are profoundly fatigued and you can identify that you are going through a horrendously stressful time, may have gained a few pounds and don’t feel like exercising or getting off the couch; you’re probably not depressed just responding normally to a dysphoric phase of your life. 

Here are the symptoms of major depression:

Group 1: Sad or irritable mood, Loss of interest/capacity for pleasure.

Group 2: 

• Sleep problems (too much or too little)
• Impaired decision making, lack of concentration,
• Changes in appetite (increase or decrease), 
• Suicidal thoughts (especially planning it),
• Feeling of guilt, worthlessness, self-blame, 
• Profound fatigue levels
• Psychomotor agitation/retardation (fidgeting relentlessly or slouching constantly)

The diagnosis of major depression requires one symptom from group one and four from group two. And yes, I’m sure by now you’re saying that given this list, everyone you know is depressed and suffers from some of these symptoms. The difference is the duration of symptoms and how they negatively affect your daily life.

Click here to take a depression screening if you have been experiencing any of these symptoms for more than two weeks. Knowledge really is power!

If you scored as suffering from major depression, please stop reading and call your doctor right now! Help is just a phone call away!

If you scored a little higher on the depression scale than you thought, then you are not alone and are probably closer to normal than you think. Mild to moderate depression often comes hand in hand with our crazy lifestyles. The thing is that you don’t become majorly depressed overnight and any kind of symptoms of depression should be taken seriously. This blog on fatigue is primarily meant to start the discussion.

As I stated prior, I am not a mental health professional; but I have watched many of my own patients spiral from a minor depression into a major depression. One of my daughters’ friends actually lost her mother this summer to suicide after a bout of major depression. No teenage girl or young adult should lose their mother in this way. Her death was preventable.

Depression is caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain. Serotonin and dopamine are the two major mood chemicals that can get out of balance in your brain and cause you to be depressed. Stress can cause depression and chronic stress in your life can cause these chemicals to become progressively unbalanced which spirals you from minor depression to major depression if left untreated.

Taking antidepressants when you have a minor depression is not a sign of weakness; but a sign that you have raised your hand and asked for help. Please do not be silent about your symptoms. Discuss all of your symptoms and thoughts with your doctor so that you can decide together if your symptoms need to be treated. 

Depression kills! The suicide rate for women 45-64 years old has risen more than 50% from 2000-2018! Please seek help even if you just think you may be depressed. Your doctor can help you sort it out. Start with your family physician, Internist or OB/Gyn. They can help you sort it out.

So, if you have had a medical workup for fatigue that shows no other causes and your score on the depression scale shows that you are not depressed, or you and your doctor have ascertained that you are not depressed; then keep reading. In part three we will discuss Superwoman Syndrome. 

Yes, it may just be that the “S” fell off your chest.