According to the National Institute of Mental Health, it’s estimated that about 16 million adults — or 7% of the US population — over the age of 18 suffer from major depression. However, many individuals suffering from depression are not diagnosed because friends and family members are unaware of the symptoms of a depressive disorder. This, in turn, can lead to severe consequences, such as the complete inability of an individual to function normally — or even more dire end results like suicide.
What Are the Symptoms of Depression?
Major depressive disorder is a serious mental condition — and that is why individuals experiencing it must get the treatment they need at the first signs. Specifically, depression is characterized as a clinical mood disorder during which feelings like anger, sadness, frustration, or loss interfere with a person’s daily life — sometimes for several months at a time.
Depression symptoms can present differently for each person, but for many, depression changes their daily functioning, typically for more than two weeks. It is crucial to be aware of the warning signs and symptoms, including:
- Drug or alcohol abuse
- Aggressive behavior
- Long periods of sadness
- Lethargy
- Apathy
- Lack of productivity
- Lack of concentration
- Loss of interest in activities
- Physical aches and pains
- Feelings of hopelessness
- Suicidal thoughts
The link between depression and poor personal hygiene
While the signs mentioned above of the clinical mood disorder may seem somewhat obvious, others are not. For instance, one possible warning sign is poor personal hygiene. That’s because when someone is suffering from a depressive disorder, they essentially lose the inability to function productively. This lack of productivity can interfere with their job, their schoolwork, their chores, etc. It can even interfere with their ability to accomplish even the most basic tasks, including eating, cleaning, and bathing themselves.
Poor hygiene is essentially a sign of self-neglect, described as either the inability or unwillingness to attend to one’s needs. In terms of being considered a warning sign for depression, poor personal hygiene may consist of noticeable body odor, poor oral hygiene, and an individual regularly wearing soiled, wrinkled, or stained clothing. This all ties into the aspect of self-neglect and the inability of an individual to function productively.
Remember, when it comes to diagnosing a depressive disorder, there is no blood test, X-ray, or questionnaire that can verify the condition in an individual. After a thorough health evaluation, there is only a diagnosis from a doctor or psychiatrist. That’s why individuals must seek treatment at the first signs of a problem. And those first signs may include poor personal hygiene.
Can depression be treated?
Depression is a serious illness, and the consequences of not receiving any treatment — or being under-treated — can have dire consequences. An individual cannot simply will it away.
At Pasadena Villa, we provide comforting and therapeutic environments for those suffering from mental disorders, including depression. We believe in treating all residents with compassion, and our programs are designed in ways that preserve and protect their dignity. Our treatment approaches include cognitive behavioral therapy, dialectical behavior therapy, experiential therapy, individual therapy, psychiatric medication evaluation and management, and more.
Treatment at our facilities is based on our unique Social Integration Model, during which our mental health professionals work directly with clients to observe them in actual social situations and incorporate these observations directly into each client’s ongoing treatment plan.
This individual, real-life personalized attention makes the Pasadena Villa treatment experience more appropriate and beneficial for our residents, especially compared to other available adult residential treatment programs.
We also have psychiatric treatment centers dedicated to outpatient programming. For more information about our outpatient locations, click here.
To learn more about depression treatment at Pasadena Villa, call us or fill out our contact form. Most insurance plans are accepted; clients and their families can also pay privately.
