Pathways for Aging

Psychiatrist, Dr. Charles Raison, regularly answers questions about mental health on cnn.com. A recent article discusses the connection of stress and depression:

“We toss the word ‘depression’ around a lot, as if we all know what it feels like to be depressed. But in fact, depression has a number of emotional faces. Sometimes it feels like the kind of sadness that makes you cry. More often it feels like a type of dull dread of the world. Often it mostly manifests as a feeling that one is really unworthy to be taking up space on the planet. And very frequently it presents itself as a feeling of overwhelming stress, a feeling that one’s problems are beyond dealing with. The fact that this last feeling is so common in depression explains why being ’stressed out’ is such a good marker for major depression.” You can read the complete article at: http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/expert.q.a/01/26/stressed.out.raison/index.html

The therapists at Pathways for Aging commonly work with older adults and caregivers who experience high levels of stress that lead to depression. Those feelings of being overwhelmed are not uncommon, especially by those trying to make life-changing decisions for themselves or their older loved ones. As Dr. Raison advises in this article, it is best to seek help to determine if depression is adding to your burdens, and both Pathways for Aging and a physician or psychiatrist would like to help. So reach out, and do not try to do everything on your own. You will likely get more stressed and possibly more depressed if you do.