Bulimia Depression
Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
Drug Abuse and Addiction
Behavioral
- Insomnia
- Loss of sexual desire
- Keeping a food diary or food lists
- Development of food rituals ie: eating in secrecy, chewing and spitting out food, cutting food into tiny pieces
- Excessive exercise
- Frequent weighing
- Avoiding social activities that may involve food
- Dramatic weight loss
- Amenorrhea Loss of menstrual cycle
- Lanugo (fine body hair)
- Hair loss
- Constipation
- Frequently feeling cold
- Dry skin
- Pale appearance
- Electrolyte imbalance
- Excessive fatigue
- Low self esteem
- Bases self worth on body weight and body image
- Depression
- Perfectionist
- Dual diagnosis (more than one addictive behavior)
- Rigidness
- Distorted body image
- Anxiety
- Over Achiever
- Black and White thinking (all or nothing)
Behavioral
- Frequent trips to the bathroom after eating
- Signs or smells of vomiting
- Evidence of laxatives or diuretics
- Eating in secret
- Obsessive exercise
- Poor impulsive control
- Normal activities no longer bring happiness
- Isolation
- Bruising and calluses on hands and knuckles (from self induced vomiting)
- Swollen cheeks and face
- Broken blood vessels in the eyes
- Weakness or fatigue
- Brittle hair and nails
- Weight fluctuation (bulimics are usually normal to overweight)
- Dental problems (cavities and loss of tooth enamel)
- Dehydration
- Chronic sore throat
- Depression and irritability
- Perfectionist type personality
- Black and White thinking (all or nothing)
- Other addictive behaviors such as compulsive spending or substance abuse
- Anxiety
- Low self esteem
Depression is one of the most common psychological problems, affecting nearly everyone through either personal experience or through depression in a family member. Each year, over 17 million American adults experience a period of clinical depression. The cost in human suffering cannot be estimated. Depression can interfere with normal functioning, and frequently causes problems with work, social and family adjustment. It causes pain and suffering -not only to those who have a disorder - but also to those who care about them. Serious depression can destroy family life as well as the life of the depressed person.
Symptoms of Depression:
A major depression is marked by a combination of symptoms that
occur together, and last for at least two weeks without significant
improvement. Symptoms from at least five of the following categories
must be present for a major depression, although even a few of
the symptom clusters are indicators of a depression, but perhaps
not a major depression.
- Persistent depressed, sad, anxious, or empty mood
- Feeling worthless, helpless, or experiencing excessive or inappropriate guilt
- Hopeless about the future, excessive pessimistic feelings
- Loss of interest and pleasure in your usual activities
- Decreased energy and chronic fatigue
- Loss of memory, difficulty making decisions or concentrating
- Irritability or restlessness or agitation
- Sleep disturbances, either difficulty sleeping, or sleeping too much
- Loss of appetite and interest in food, or overeating, with weight gain
- Recurring thoughts of death, or suicidal thoughts or actions
- Causes tremendous emotional pain
- Disrupts the lives of millions of people
- Adversely affects the lives of families and friends
- Reduces work productivity and absenteeism
- Has a significant negative impact on the economy, costing an estimated $44 billion a year
Depression is a psychological condition that changes how you think and feel, and also affects your social behavior and sense of physical well-being. We have all felt sad at one time or another, but that is not depression. Sometimes we feel tired from working hard, or discouraged when faced with serious problems. This too, is not depression. These feelings usually pass within a few days or weeks, once we adjust to the stress. But, if these feelings linger, intensify, and begin to interfere with work, school or family responsibilities, it may be depression.
Depression can affect anyone. Once identified, most people diagnosed with depression are successfully treated. Unfortunately, depression is not always diagnosed, because many of the symptoms mimic physical illness, such as sleep and appetite disturbances. Recognizing depression is the first step in treating it.
Nearly two-thirds of depressed people do not get proper treatment because:- The symptoms are not recognized as depression.
- Depressed people are seen as weak or lazy.
- Social stigma causes people to avoid needed treatment.
The symptoms are so disabling that the people affected cannot reach out for help. Many symptoms are misdiagnosed as physical problems, and individual symptoms are treated, rather than the underlying cause.
Please contact us if you have any questions regarding treatment for depression.