Depression

Does it feel like you are feeling down and out a little too often, or you're having an unexplainable series of 'off' days? There's a real chance that you might be experiencing more than just a case of the blues. It might be a scary prospect to face, but there might be a chance that your are suffering from clinical depression. Although having a depressive disorder can be a hard pill to swallow for most, there is a light at the end of the tunnel. While depression isn't technically curable in the medical sense, there is a great deal that can be done medically and psychologically to help you defeat your depression disorder. At the North Woods Health center we work with our patients to help overcome this condition by providing not only quality treatment but more importantly a supportive community that the patient can rely on. We encourage loved ones and close friends of out patients to play active roles in giving depressed individuals the love and support they need. Depression is more than a case of the blues and requires time, patients and care in order to overcome.

What is depression?

Over the past couple of decades there are been a great deal of information gathered and learned about depression and its causes. Due to the fact that depression wasn't clinically 'discovered' until the mid part of the 20th century, some people have postulated that it is a new condition. But scientific evidence shows that depression has existed for a long time only it wasn't recognized. There is also a common misconception that depression is a mental illness. The only truth to this claim lies in the fact that scientists have located the cause of depression in the brain. But beyond that, depression and mental illnesses have nothing more in common.

Although the mechanisms through which the depression is caused remains unclear to scientists, the affect it has on the brain is quite clear. In depressed brains there is a lack of serotonin receptors due to a decreased hippocampus (part of the brain which controls memory and navigation). The lack of serotonin receptors and the link to depression is somewhat unclear, but it has been observed in most cases of clinical depression. What remains to be true is that depression is caused by a complex and connected malfunction of several neurological pathways. Proving that one cannot simply 'get over' depression, but actually requires medical aid.

Depression

Does it feel like you are feeling down and out a little too often, or you're having an unexplainable series of 'off' days? There's a real chance that you might be experiencing more than just a case of the blues. It might be a scary prospect to face, but there might be a chance that your are suffering from clinical depression. Although having a depressive disorder can be a hard pill to swallow for most, there is a light at the end of the tunnel. While depression isn't technically curable in the medical sense, there is a great deal that can be done medically and psychologically to help you defeat your depression disorder. At the North Woods Health center we work with our patients to help overcome this condition by providing not only quality treatment but more importantly a supportive community that the patient can rely on. We encourage loved ones and close friends of out patients to play active roles in giving depressed individuals the love and support they need. Depression is more than a case of the blues and requires time, patients and care in order to overcome.

Are you depressed?

Not everyone who feels a little blue is clinically depressed. In fact, receiving a clinical diagnosis of depression requires several tests administered by a mental health professional and that have become standardized by the National institute of Mental Health. At the North Hills Health Clinic we are able to provide these tests and give a diagnosis of depression should we feel that you meet the standardized requirements. From then on you will be able to treat and one day overcome your depression with the help of our professional and experienced medical staff.

Overcoming Depression

Even with effective and clinically proven depression treatment, depression is not something that is overcome overnight. We make it one of our first priorities for our patients to understand that the healing process can be lengthy and requires their fullest commitment and dedication to feeling better. We provide treatment in the form of both medical and psychological therapy. We understand that each case is completely unique and make a promise to treat every single case on its own terms. We believe that we are not selling depression treatment, but giving people the ability to take their lives back.