Depression

Depression is one of many mood disorders that alter your emotional state. If you experience symptoms of depression like persistent sadness, hopelessness, or fatigue, the experts at Cary Behavioral Health serving Wake, Johnson, and Durham counties, North Carolina, can help. Waheed Bajwa, MD, Maggie D’Angelo, PMHNP-BC, and the team specialize in depression care using advanced tools like transcranial magnetic stimulation, cognitive behavioral therapy, and ketamine treatment. Call Cary Behavioral Health or book a consultation online today.

What are the symptoms of depression?

Depression is a mood disorder, which means it affects your emotional well-being. It can affect how you behave and interact with other people. While you might think of depression as just a long-lasting type of sadness, the symptoms can be complex and far-reaching. You might experience:

• Sadness
• Hopelessness
• Low motivation
• Appetite changes
• Insomnia or other sleep changes
• Trouble concentrating or making decisions
• Fatigue or low energy
• Thoughts of death or suicide

Some medical conditions can cause similar symptoms to depression, so you may require medical testing to rule out other possible causes. 

How is depression diagnosed?

When you visit Cary Behavioral Health, the team provides a comprehensive psychiatric evaluation to review your symptoms and assess your mental function. This includes neuropsychological testing, which offers a more objective measure of your cognitive and emotional function than a standard psychiatric assessment can provide. 

To receive a depression diagnosis, you must have mild to severe symptoms that last for at least two weeks and are distinctively different from your previous moods and behaviors. 

What are my treatment options for depression?

Cary Behavioral Health offers several evidence-based treatments for depression and can create an individualized care plan to help you regulate your mood. You might benefit from one or more of these options:

Psychotherapy 

• Psychotherapy gives you space to talk about your emotions while teaching you coping skills to reduce symptoms of depression. 

Antidepressant medications

• Antidepressants are prescription medications that treat depression by altering how your brain neurotransmitter levels that changes brain cell receptors  to control your mood. 

Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) therapy

• TMS therapy uses magnetic fields to stimulate nerve cells inside your brain, changing neurotransmitters and this can ease symptoms of depression. 

Ketamine treatment

• Ketamine is a newer therapy for depression, but it has been available for pain relief for decades. It reduces depressive thoughts and suicidal behaviors, especially in patients with treatment-resistant depression. 

Which other mood disorders can benefit from psychiatric treatment?

Bipolar disorder specifically responds well to Mood stablizers like lithium, anticonvulsants and atypicals antipsychotics . The disorder alters between periods of depression and mania or hypomania, during which your moods and energy elevate. 

Call Cary Behavioral Health or schedule an appointment online for compassionate and effective treatment for your depression today.