What is the Cost of Depression treatment?
At times, we all feel sad, lonely, or under stress. It’s a natural response to loss, difficulties in life, or low self-esteem. These emotions may also be symptoms of depression which will prevent you from living a regular, healthy life. If these symptoms persist they can worsen, trigger physical effects, and last for a long time.
Before anything happens, it’s best to get medical assistance as soon as possible. A safe place to start is with your regular doctor. They will run tests to see if you are experiencing depression. They will also provide advice about how to deal with your symptoms.
If you don’t find help with your depression, it can get worse and last for months, if not years. It can be a horrible experience and in the worst case, lead to suicide.
It may seem like we are ringing the alarm bells. But there is a reason for that. According to the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health in Canada, 1 in 5 people experience feelings of depression.
However, it’s not all doom and gloom. Further research from the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health in Canada indicates that up to 80% of people who get professional help with depression can get back to their normal lives.
However, to land on the favourable side of this statistic, recognizing the signs and symptoms of depression is crucial. Early detection of the symptoms can be useful in providing a roadmap for how to manage depression.
In this article, we will go over the symptoms and causes of depression. Using information from years of providing depression treatment and management services in Toronto, we will also provide a guide to treating depression.
Finally, this blog will also include insight into the respective costs of treatment for depression. Let’s get into it.
What is Depression?
The symptoms of depression are more than just sadness in reaction to life’s challenges and setbacks. It can affect how you think, behave, and work. Depression can make it difficult for you to work, learn, feed, sleep, or enjoy life. With this mental illness, getting through each day becomes extra difficult.
According to Healthline, depression is a mental disorder that includes persistent mood depression and loss of desire to partake in normal activities. As such, depression can affect your daily life.
Some people characterize depression as “suffocating under a dark cloud” or as a sense of imminent doom. Whereas, others describe it as feeling lifeless, hollow, and apathetic. Men, in fact, can become irritable and restless.
Depression will develop into a major health problem if left unchecked. However, keep in mind that helplessness and hopelessness are only symptoms of depression, not the facts of the condition.
With the right treatment program for depression, you will improve, no matter how helpless you or your loved one may be feeling right now. You can achieve this by identifying the source of your depression and knowing its signs. This brings us to the next section.
What are the Symptoms of Depression?
Here are some of the common signs of depression below. We will delve deeper into the definition of each symptom on this list.
- Fatigue
- Helplessness
- Crankiness
- Concentration troubles
- Appetite loss
- Loss of interest in hobbies and pastimes
- Severe cramps and body pains
- Suicidal thoughts
- Chronic anxiety
- Reckless behaviours
Fatigue
This is one of the most common symptoms of depression. Your body starts to feel unnecessarily tired even without straining it. You may find yourself feeling weak even while still in bed. Your body responds to commands from the mind. Hence, once the mind is out of order, the body succumbs to apathy.
Helplessness
Depression starts in the mind and also affects your mental outlook. Before you embark on any task, you tend to have positive energy towards the said task.
However, one of the symptoms of depression is that this helplessness can foster pessimism. This can make you question the point of doing anything at all. Consequently, this leaves you devoid of hope and drive.
Crankiness
This is another sign of depression that is quite prevalent especially among adults. You tend to become more irritated by minor inconveniences. The tiniest of peeves can cause you to get angry and provoke a bad reaction.
You gradually become unapproachable as people aren’t sure of the best way to deal with you. Due to this crankiness, most people who are depressed tend to look out for only the bad things in every situation.
Concentration Troubles
The cause of depression can be related to negative reviews at school or at work. Sometimes, issues concentrating can predate this form of depression.
It gets increasingly difficult to remember basic things and tasks. You can also lose focus easily on your day-to-day activities. Your mind easily falls for distractions which can cause you to overthink basic scenarios.
Appetite Loss
One of the earliest symptoms of depression can be a ridiculous loss of appetite. With depression, you tend to skip meals more often despite feeling hungry.
Your favourite meal may begin to appear unpleasant to you. This is an important detail to note to determine if you are trying to determine if you need professional treatment for depression.
Loss of Interest in Hobbies and Pastimes
Similar to the loss of appetite, losing interest in your hobbies can be a telltale sign of depression. You may enjoy watching and playing hockey, but find yourself no longer passionate about it.
What is happening here is that your mental state may be deteriorating and your pleasure centers shut off. As a result, you no longer indulge in habits that relieve you of stress.
Severe Cramps and Headaches
Believe it or not, overthinking can cause head-splitting migraines. Since depression can cause anxiety, you may start to imagine impossible scenarios. Such actions can cause headaches.
Depression often comes with a reduction in activity. When you are inactive for a long time, you increase the chances of developing muscle atrophy. This can lead to body pains and severe cramps.
Suicidal Thoughts
This is one of the most dangerous symptoms of depression. Your mind can get to an extreme state of pessimism. This can lead to you looking for means to end it all.
Suicidal thoughts arise and you may start rationalizing ways to end your own life. Please note that if you have made any suicidal attempts, kindly reach out to any anti-suicide hotlines or confidants.
Chronic Anxiety
This symptom of depression will have you dedicating most of your brainpower to worrying incessantly. You may start to get paranoid because you are only manifesting negative thoughts.
You may lock eyes with a stranger and start thinking they are talking about you. You barely have any peace of mind anymore and become exceptionally restless.
Reckless Behaviour
Due to unhealthy and negative thoughts, you may adopt a nihilistic mindset. Hence, you don’t give a care in the world anymore.
You may drive recklessly, eat recklessly or drink recklessly. You start to become less aware of how reckless your habits are. Worse, you may start to neglect the effects on others.
Related Article: Depression Treatment: How to Avoid the Holiday Blues
How Depression Develops: Causes and Risk Factors
The causes of depression range from age to trauma and genetic factors. There are a vast number of triggers that can lead to depression and they may arise from the littlest things.
People feel depression as a result of a severe medical problem. Others may develop depression as a result of life changes such as relocating or losing a loved one. Others have a history of depression in their families. Here are the major causes or risk factors for depression.
- Age
- Genetics
- Hormones
- Personality traits
- Medication
- Health problems
- Trauma
- Substance abuse
Age
This is one of the common causes of depression. As we grow older, our body tends to get weaker and the same goes for our minds. You no longer have the necessary energy to do things that you are capable of.
Additionally, older people tend to live alone often, and this can lead to depression. If you are a senior citizen, reduced contact with family and friends is a risk factor for depression.
Genetics
Family history can contribute to the manifestation of depression. Certain illnesses may be passed down from parents to their offspring. Hence, it’s best to check your family history to know if you have a history of depression. This way you can start to implement a prevention plan.
Hormones
Chemical imbalances can occur within your system. This can lead to massive mood swings and lethargy that causes depression.
A good example is in the case of recent mothers. They may experience postpartum depression due to the chemical imbalance caused by hormones.
Personality Traits
The presence of low self-esteem or pessimism may increase the risk of depression. Introverts and soft-spoken people are very likely to experience depression.
Their lifestyle may make them appear shy and become subjects of ridicule. This can further shatter self-esteem and confidence levels, leading them down the path of depression.
Medications and Health Problems
Some treatment drugs for other diseases have been known to escalate the symptoms of depression. Dealing with a major health issue can also be a prelude to depression.
Some sicknesses come with side effects that can leave your mind weak. If left unchecked, this can lead you down the road to depression.
Trauma
Nothing changes the mind irrevocably like trauma or extreme stress. When you encounter trauma, it can permanently change the chemical makeup of your brain.
This can lead to phobia and avoidance of previous beloved activities. In some cases, remembering the trauma can come with bad memories that leave their imprint on your mental health.
Substance Abuse
The abuse of drugs and narcotics can severely alter your brain’s chemistry. This can lead to depression especially in the case where you are unable to satisfy your craving. With addiction, you start to become dependent on the drug and lose interest in order things that bring you joy.
Tips to Manage Depression
It can sound as if there is no light at the end of the tunnel during a depression. However, there are a number of things you can do to boost your mental health.
Stay Active
Getting out of bed, let alone exercise can be tough when you’re depressed. However, regular activity may be almost as beneficial as an antidepressant treatment in treating symptoms of depression.
Take a fast stroll or turn on some music and shake your hips. Start with small tasks and work your way up.
Eat Mood-Boosting Foods
Your diet is crucial to ensuring a very healthy lifestyle and mindset. Therefore, try to avoid foods that can negatively affect your mood. Examples of these foods are alcohol, caffeine, and carbs. Instead, you can go for diets rich in Omega-3 fatty acids to boost your mood
Be More Social
Socializing with people can feel daunting and tasking. However, we are social animals by nature.
Hence we must engage with others to boost our moods and outlook. Isolation and reclusiveness can accelerate the presence of depression
Engage in Therapy
Consulting a therapist can present you with resources to handle depression from different perspectives. They can inspire you to take the requisite steps by using effective therapy against depression.
Additionally, they can provide you with alternative treatment options for depression. Therapy will also equip you with the tools and knowledge you need to avoid a relapse.
What is the Cost of Treating Depression
The cost of depression treatment varies depending on whether you have insurance or not. It is also a function of whether you choose medication, therapy or a combination of both for treatment.
Medication
There are drugs designed to help manage the symptoms of depression. However, it is important to ensure you go through a licensed therapist before purchasing any antidepressants.
Below is a list of some of the most common medications for depression and their prices.
| Drug Name | Average Cost for a month’s supply |
| tranylcypromine (10mg) | $130 |
| paroxetine ER (25 mg) | $40 |
| duloxetine (60 mg) | $10 |
| sertraline (50 mg) | $7 |
| fluoxetine (20 mg) | $4 |
Therapy
Therapy is a more effective form of treatment for depression. It’s usually recommended because it treats the psychological cause of depression. In most cases, this is helpful for preventing a relapse. However, the cost of this form of depression treatment is more expensive compared to medication.
Mostly, treatment services offer therapy as part of a program that may include medication and other holistic treatment options. Individual, therapy pricing models for depression can cost between $100-$600 per session.
At these sessions, the therapist will help determine the source of your depression and work with you to curb it. They will provide you with the relevant information you need to overcome your depression and maintain a renewed lifestyle.
Related Article: Depression Treatment: 7 Effective Tips For Coping
Depression can be a mind killer if you do not tackle it on time. Identifying the symptoms is the first step to mitigating this mental disorder. Next, there’s a need to determine the cause of the depression to prevent it from resurging. In all of this, there’s a need to consult a professional therapist to help manage depression symptoms.
If you are lost on which treatment services to use, look no more. Here at Addiction Rehab Toronto, we offer depression treatment in the form of therapy and medication. We also offer access to facilities and programs designed to reinvent and awaken your energy. Your mental health is our absolute priority. Reach out to us today!
