Depression

About 1 in 10 Americans experience depression today. If you have persistent or intrusive thoughts of sadness and hopelessness, Pavilion Family Medicine experts John Ribadeneyra, MD, and Kate Wogan, FNP, are here to support you. They provide expert depression care in their Montrose, Colorado, office. To learn more about how you can get compassionate help, call the office or book your appointment using online scheduling today.

What is depression?

Depression is a mood disorder that influences your feelings, thoughts, and actions. It causes sadness and a lack of interest in the things you previously enjoyed. Depression currently affects about 10% of Americans.  

What kind of symptoms does depression cause?

Depression symptoms often include:

• Depressed mood most of the time
• Frequent feelings of worthlessness or unreasonable guilt
• Significantly reduced interest (or lack of interest) in most activities
• Significant weight changes without trying 
• Fatigue
• Difficulty sleeping (insomnia) or sleeping too much  
• Slowed thoughts and movements
• Increase in purposeless movements
• Preoccupation with death
• Recurrent thought of, or plans for, ending your life

You may experience additional negative changes. Depression can infiltrate your relationships, work, and other aspects of your life. It can dramatically affect your relationship with yourself too.

How is depression diagnosed?

Depression diagnosis is usually multifaceted. You may need a physical exam, lab tests to check for underlying problems like thyroid disorders, and a psychiatric evaluation. You may need to complete a questionnaire as part of your evaluation. 

Medical providers may diagnose depression if you have five or more depression symptoms during a span of two weeks, with one of those being either a depressed mood or loss of interest in most things.

How is depression treated? 

Depression treatment often includes psychotherapy and medication. There are many options for depression medications today. The most common depression treatment, antidepressant medications, alter brain chemistry to dramatically relieve many depression symptoms. 

Pavilion Family Medicine provides personalized recommendations for medication and psychotherapy that take your diagnosis, lifestyle, general health, and treatment goals into account. 

If your needs change in the future, the experienced specialists can help you choose treatment plan changes that work best for your life.

Can depression go away on its own?

While your symptoms may ebb and flow over time, depression usually won’t completely go away on its own because it’s different from temporary sadness or grief. 

But, when you have supportive medical caregivers by your side, you can manage depression effectively so it won’t have debilitating effects on your life. 

If you’re experiencing sadness, feelings of worthlessness, a negative change in your feelings about life, or other symptoms of depression, Pavilion Family Medicine can help. Book your appointment online or call the office to set up your visit with an expert today.