Depression and Neuropsychology
Nearly everyone has felt depressed, blue or down at one time or another during his or her life.
Common symptoms of depression include:
- Feeling extremely sad or empty
- Thoughts of death or suicide
- Feeling hopeless, helpless and worthless
- Either an increase or a decrease in the need for sleep
- Weight gain or weight loss
- Loss of enjoyment in things that were once enjoyed
- Anxiety
- Low energy
- Difficulty concentrating or making decisions
Sometimes depression can have more physical symptoms.
These include a persistent stomach ache, indigestion, body aches and pains, headaches or sexual problems. Depression is particularly common in mothers after the birth of a baby, during winter months, among those who abuse substances and in some medical and neurological conditions.
Because there are many different kinds of depression and there are other neurological and medical disorders that mimic depression, it is essential that treatment begin with a comprehensive evaluation. A combination of counseling and medications has been shown to be the single most effective treatment for depression. A neuropsychological evaluation can pinpoint the best approaches that a therapist can take. This same evaluation can help inform the choices your physician makes when deciding on medications. Please contact us to learn more about the evaluation of depression or to make an appointment for your evaluation.