Depression Treatments with Acupuncture NYC by Marc Bystock L.Ac.

Depression is a mental disease. This condition can rob people of happiness and leave them feeling empty, alone, or worthless. People with this problem often feel sad and may withdraw from doing things that they enjoy. These people typically stop spending time with people they love isolating themselves to suffer in silence. 

Depression is a problem for many people. This condition can affect as many as 40 million people over 18 in the United States alone each year. This condition may be temporary, slight, or chronic, depending on the person and the circumstances. Depression can occur because of medication, genetic, lifestyle, and health conditions. Unfortunately, treating this problem is not a simple fix or one solution fits all answer. 

More women than men experience a major depressive disorder. A sobering statistic is that nearly 65 percent of people with depression develop some form of heart disease. Treating this problem requires a deep understanding of the body, reducing symptoms, and treating the underlying causes of the problem. While medication is often the first option, there are more holistic and natural methods of dealing with sadness and other side effects of depression. 

• Persistent depressive disorder
• Major depressive disorder
• Chronic depression
• Bipolar depression
• Prenatal depression
• Postpartum depression
• Seasonal mood disorder
• Atypical depression
• Unipolar depression

• Deep feeling of dread
• Trouble getting restorative sleep
• Insomnia
• Not finding enjoyment in things a person loves
• Problems eating like binge eating or anorexia
• Unexplained weight gain or loss
• Feelings of worthlessness
• Guilty feelings
• Erratic activity
• Sluggish movements
• No energy
• Problems with endurance
• Irritability and moodiness
• Trouble concentrating or staying focused

So many things can cause depression. The death of someone close, too little sunlight, health conditions like diabetes, a genetic predisposition to the disease, and chemical imbalances in the brain can all cause depression symptoms to show up. Sometimes, lifestyle issues are a problem. For example, a smoker can develop depression, especially if the person begins smoking more than normal. 

Life changes like something traumatizing often trigger depressive symptoms. Grief over a pet or lost loved one, the loss of a job, a change in the custody of a child, or not finishing college often cause a person to experience depression symptoms. Sometimes, these problems do not go away on their own. Bad habits can contribute to sad feelings too. Poor diet, not enough sleep, too much caffeine, and excessive alcohol or drug use can cause depression. 

The primary way to differentiate between grief and depression is how the symptoms manifest. In grief, the person may feel these symptoms from time to time. They may be worse some days than others. A person grieving over a loss will often have confidence in themselves, where a person who is depressed will feel worthless.

During this time, the wrong medication can worsen symptoms. Then, a person must wean off the medication, wait a few days or a week, and then try another medication. It may take four or five bouts of this activity to find the right medicine. Some people need a combination of therapies to fix the problem. For these people, it may take months to get relief.