Fatigue & Depression

When you don't feel okay

Low mood for more than two weeks that won't improve despite your efforts could indicate that you have clinically-significant depression.

Depression can present in different ways. In most cases it is gradual and insidious. It can produce a feeling of sadness, emptiness, lack of joy, lack of motivation, and sometimes a lack of any feelings at all. In some cases it can be triggered or exacerbated by specific life events.

Depression sometimes produces physical symptoms that cause patients to seek medical attention. These often include fatigue, insomnia, headaches, diffuse pain, lack of appetite, nausea, diarrhea, changes in weight, and loss of libido.

Just as in cases of anxiety, patients with depression usually try to manage their symptoms on their own. Frequently, this self-care is successful and symptoms subside. However, in cases where these efforts are not successful, it is important to get professional help.

Dr. Kwinter has helped innumerable patients overcome mental health challenges, including depression. Sometimes the condition is secondary to a medical problem such as hypothyroidism, iron-deficiency, or anemia. In other cases, termed "idiopathic," there is no underlying medical cause and depression may be diagnosed and treated as a primary disorder such as major depressive disorder or seasonal affective disorder, or as an element of another mental health condition such as bipolar disorder.

In all cases, depression is an important condition that deserves attention from a mental health professional so that underlying causes can be excluded, symptoms can be reduced, and quality of life can be restored.