Depression
Depression is an easily misunderstood disorder, and this can make it difficult to seek help. Yes, everyone has bouts of depression now and again, but depression is also a clinical syndrome that may need therapy or medication to facilitate healing. If depression is impairing your ability to live a productive and fulfilling life, we can help.
At Via Clinic, we believe it is crucial to accurately characterize and diagnose depression in order to best target your therapy. Our first step is to perform a comprehensive psychiatric evaluation in order to develop a treatment plan. We also take time for illness education and a discussion of the various treatment options, including psychotherapy and antidepressant management.
About Depression
The word “depression” is confusing because it describes both a symptom and a syndrome. As a stand-alone symptom, depression refers to the low moods that many people experience at various times throughout their lives, especially when encountering loss. Depression as a clinical syndrome – also called a major depressive episode – refers to an impairing episode of low mood (or profound lack of enjoyment) that significantly impacts our vitality and sense of worth.
Depressive episodes may occur in major depressive disorder and bipolar disorder, with the latter being defined as having the presence of manic episodes. Mania is another pathological mood state, and it is often characterized by inflated moods, grandiosity, and a severely elevated and prolonged sense of energy. Together, major depression and bipolar disorder form the major mood disorders.