Gallstones and Weight Loss
Gallstones cause a host of painful and unpleasant symptoms, from intense pain to fever and nausea. Did you know that how you approach weight loss influences your likelihood of suffering from gallstones?
While the gray days of winter make even the sunniest among us a little duller, especially as winter wears on, there’s a big difference between the winter blues and symptoms of depression. Depression is a very serious mental disorder caused by chemical imbalances in your brain, and it requires medical care.
At Family Medicine and Acute Care of Sandhills, our team of experienced providers offers a wide range of health care services, including psychological care. We understand that your physical health is only half of your wellness equation; your mental health is equally important.
To ensure that all of your health care bases are covered, we offer compassionate and expert care for our patients who are struggling with:
So if you’re feeling depressed this winter, it may be time to take advantage of our psychology services.
The first thing to understand about depression is that everyone experiences periods of sadness, but depression takes this sadness to the next level. The most common symptoms of depression include:
This list is by no means comprehensive — everyone experiences depression differently — but it gives you an idea of some of the more common warning flags.
Again, depression is far more than just feeling sad. Depression traps you in a place where you can’t see your way out, not that you even want to try. And that’s one of the more insidious aspects of depression: Even if you hate the way you’re feeling, your symptoms can create a vicious prison with no escape unless you seek outside help.
While depression can strike at any time, there is a fairly common subtype of depression called seasonal affective disorder (SAD), which typically strikes during winter. SAD affects about 10 million Americans, with women outpacing men by 4 to 1.
The symptoms of SAD come on during the winter (they can come on in summer, but the winter version is far more prevalent), and they mimic the symptoms of depression we outlined above.
If your depression follows this seasonal pattern for more than two years in a row, the odds are good that you’re dealing with SAD.
Whether you have SAD or a major depressive disorder, our goal is to help you find your way back to happiness. To do this, we perform an extensive evaluation of your symptoms and your medical history. If we determine that depression has taken hold, we may turn to one or more of the following:
The bottom line is that you shouldn’t suffer depression alone, and there are effective treatments that can free you from your prison of sadness.
To get started, please contact one of our friendly staff at our office in Cameron, North Carolina.
