Resources: Frequently Asked Questions

Mental Health

Q: What is Depression and how do I know if I'm really depressed or just sad?

A: Depression is a mood disorder that affects a person's thoughts, body, and mood. People who are depressed can experience "down" feelings such as sadness and hopelessness. It's different from normal emotions in reaction to real events such as grief after a loved one dies or losing a job. What makes it different is that a depressive disorder involves the whole person and is not a passing unhappy mood. The symptoms of depression can last a long while - in fact, that's part of the way it can be diagnosed. Depression may also start without a clear cause but often a combination of genetic, environmental and psychological factors play a part in depressive disorders.

Q: How can I cure depression?

A: The first step in treatment is to get a full physical examination to identify and/or rule out other contributing factors (for example, pain). After a complete psychological examination has determined that the person has a depressive disorder, mental health professionals may use a variety of treatments from these two categories:

• antidepressant medication
• psychotherapies

Q: What is Alzheimer's disease?

A: Alzheimer's is a form of dementia. The Alzheimer's Association has developed a list of warning signs that include common symptoms of Alzheimer's disease.
The 10 warning signs are:

1. Memory loss that affects job skills.
2. Difficulty performing familiar tasks
3. Problems with language
4. Disorientation to time and place.
5. Poor or decreased judgment
6. Problems with abstract thinking
7. Misplacing things
8. Changes in mood or behavior
9. Changes in personality
10. Loss of initiative.

As dementia progresses the individual may become more withdrawn and less able to control behavior. Mood swings, and emotional outbursts occur. He may wander away from home. He may awake in the night disoriented, paranoid or behaving in acute psychotic fashion. Eventually the individual may become totally oblivious to his surroundings and require constant care.

Q: What does PTSD mean?

A: PTSD means Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. It is one of the many emotional reactions associated with traumatic events. Common physical symptoms include difficulty sleeping, feeling tired, headaches and stomachaches. Common emotional symptoms may include: intrusive thoughts and images about the traumatic events, efforts to avoid reminders of the events, feeling worried, jumpy, anxious, or disconnected from the ordinary world, and memory gaps.