Have you been dealing with not feeling like yourself?
Tired or having low energy?
Feel like you lost interest in activities you used to enjoy?
Having trouble concentrating or making decisions?
Mood changes, fluctuating, with irritability, or sadness?
If you answered "yes" to any of these questions you should continue reading.
First, let me be clear, this is not intended to be medical advice and you always want to discuss any concerns that you have with your medical provider. Additionally, if you ever have thoughts of harming yourself or others, please go to the nearest emergency room or call 911 immediately to seek help. The free suicide hotline number is listed at the end of this post.
Many times, patients tell us they’ve waited months to get in with a psychiatrist because they didn’t realize their anxiety or depression symptoms could be evaluated and treated by a primary care provider. Today, we want to help you identify some of the common symptoms associated with early clinical depression, so you can get the care that you need. Discussing the symptoms with your primary care provider is often a great place to start because it’s important to rule out underlying medical conditions that may sometimes mimic signs of depression and anxiety which can include (but are not limited to) anemia, thyroid disorders, nutritional deficiencies, or even side effects to current medications.
At Balance, we can evaluate people for depression and anxiety via telehealth or in-person at our Lutz, Florida clinic.. We typically like to schedule an initial evaluation for depression or anxiety as a one hour appointment. We do this to allow enough time to get a thorough history and gain a better understanding of your symptoms, as well as assess lifestyle, stress levels, personal and family medical history, or previous traumatic events. Depression and anxiety doesn’t always present the same for everyone and all of these things are important when developing a diagnosis and appropriate treatment plan.
While moderate to severe anxiety and depression may require medication, mild depression and anxiety can often be managed with basic interventions such as: improving stress reduction techniques, developing healthy coping mechanisms, learning how to appropriately process and respond to stressful situations, correcting nutritional deficiencies, and seeing a therapist. Sometimes it’s a simple as making sure that you’re getting plenty of sleep, physical activity, increasing your water intake, or spending time outdoors. You’d be surprised how much these basic changes can improve how we process stress and anxiety.
It really doesn’t matter who you are, where you live, or what type of job you have, we ALL are experiencing stress and it can become overwhelming at times. It’s important to know you’re not alone. If you are experiencing these symptoms and they are affecting your quality of life, then it’s likely time to have an evaluation to attempt to determine a cause, so you can work with your provider and come up with a treatment plan that works best for you.
If you don’t have a primary care provider, and would like to establish care with our office, we do offer both in person and telehealth visits within the state of Florida. You can always schedule an appointment directly online or give us a call at 813-344-3948.
And if no one has told you today, you’re IMPORTANT and you’re WORTH it!
Suicide hotline: 988
Free to use.
Please call if you ever feel like harming yourself or anyone else.
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