Aa
I was wondering what is everyone's depression level in regards to your treatment?
We don't know anyone else who is on the treatment and I was wondering if severe depression is common.
I agree that there are different levels of Depression. But I also think the term depression is loosely tossed about way too much. Not all sadness, unhappiness, irritability, restlessness, or insomnia are from Depression. I think people often use the term depression to describe their mood when they are actually sad or unhappy (not clinically depressed) ("Oh, I'm a little depressed today.") In addition, PCPs are not educated or trained in diagnosing Depression. Too many PCPs don't really have a clue about diagnosing depression and instead are relying on those ridiculous questionnaires, adding up the numbers and scores, and prescribing antidepressants (or not prescribing antidepressants) based on those scores. In reality, they should be referring the patients to psychiatrists for diagnosis and treatment.
The link below goes to an article from the Stanford School of Medicine Depression Research Clinic. It discusses major clinical depression as well as some of the other depressive/mood disorders. It is pretty informative.
http://med.stanford.edu/depression/depression.html
The link below goes to an article from the Stanford School of Medicine Depression Research Clinic. It discusses major clinical depression as well as some of the other depressive/mood disorders. It is pretty informative.
http://med.stanford.edu/depression/depression.html
When I told my hepatologist I was extremely irritated, he said that was a sign of depression.
You don't need to explain but perhaps there are different levels of depression.
You don't need to explain but perhaps there are different levels of depression.
pooh thank you for all your words,
i found that at the beginning of treatment there was this motivating force that drove me. even with the physical effects of treatment i was in it full force. when the liver doc pulled me of the incevik at week 10 it was a great disappointment. at first i argued with the doc. it was like trying to argue with a zen master. after which i broke down and cried in the examining room.
and then the sadness arose. i found myself crying for hours each day, thinking about all the others that i had injured in one way or another over my lifetime. followed by feelings of self loathing. and thoughts of suicide arose.
concentration became impossible. short term memory was difficult. i would spend most of my day trying to keep up with the most basic of human functions and for a while i could not even get up the desire to go to the supermarket.
you wrote "I was sort of in this shell of a body that seemed to have no feelings or responses to anything." i understand. now there is this feeling of emptiness, there does not seem to be any motivating force left. i have no interest in the things i once found pleasurable. the most basic desires are gone. like companionship and food. these thoughts arise that maybe i should try to make amends for those i have hurt over the last year, yet i have no motivation.
i found that at the beginning of treatment there was this motivating force that drove me. even with the physical effects of treatment i was in it full force. when the liver doc pulled me of the incevik at week 10 it was a great disappointment. at first i argued with the doc. it was like trying to argue with a zen master. after which i broke down and cried in the examining room.
and then the sadness arose. i found myself crying for hours each day, thinking about all the others that i had injured in one way or another over my lifetime. followed by feelings of self loathing. and thoughts of suicide arose.
concentration became impossible. short term memory was difficult. i would spend most of my day trying to keep up with the most basic of human functions and for a while i could not even get up the desire to go to the supermarket.
you wrote "I was sort of in this shell of a body that seemed to have no feelings or responses to anything." i understand. now there is this feeling of emptiness, there does not seem to be any motivating force left. i have no interest in the things i once found pleasurable. the most basic desires are gone. like companionship and food. these thoughts arise that maybe i should try to make amends for those i have hurt over the last year, yet i have no motivation.
I understand it's hard to explain, but you did a pretty good job; I saw some finer points of light in what you wrote. It clarifies things a bit. Thanks :)
"I guess what I'm asking is how can one be on tx (which has 90% of the symptoms on the lists), but say, "However, I did not feel depressed and I was not depressed. I know the difference." You are in a unique position to describe the difference and I'd be interested to hear what makes the difference. As I said, depression and its dx has always been a mystery to me, especially for people on tx. Maybe you can enlighten me on that."
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It is not actually easy to describe major clinical depression to others. It is sort of like describing Hep C Tx side effects to others. It is difficult to understand if one has not been in the situation.
Many diseases (as well as Hep C Tx) can cause symptoms such as fatigue, loss of energy, loss of motivation, sleep disturbances, weight changes, crying spells for no apparent reason, back pain or headaches, changes in appetite, reduced sex drive.
In addition to the above, Hep C Tx can cause impaired concentration, distractibility, trouble thinking/ concentrating/remembering, irritability or frustration, irritability or angry outbursts, slowed thinking, feeling slowed down.
In addition to the above listed symptoms, major depression usually has many of the following symptoms: agitation or restlessness such as pacing, hand-wringing or an inability to sit still, loss of interest and/or pleasure in most activities, indecisiveness and inability to make decisions, feelings of worthlessness or guilt, slowed thinking, fixating on past failures and blaming oneself, feelings of sadness or unhappiness, recurring thoughts of death, dying or suicide.
While I had the more general side effects related to many diseases and disorders and those related to Hep C Tx, I did not have the following major depression symptoms: feeling very sad or unhappy, fixation on past happenings or failures, pacing or hand wringing or bouncing my knee. I did not have knots in my stomach, did not lose interest or pleasure in most activities, did not feel worthless, did not feel guilty, did not think about death, dying or suicide. I did not think I would be better off dead.
During Tx I had the general symptoms that can be due to many diseases and factors. But I did not have the more severe symptoms such as are listed in the above (last) paragraph. Therefore, I knew I was not in a major depression.
In addition, due to the chemical imbalance in the brain, major depression generally brings with it distorted thinking. The thinking is more in black and white, extremes, there is no in between. Examples: failed my exam solution is to kill myself; relationship disintegrated ... suicide again; lost my house ... suicide; reprimanded at work ... suicide. No other options/solutions make themselves known. Generally, when one fails an exam it is disappointing and perhaps embarrassing, but most people would just study more and make arrangements to take it again. The severely depressed person (while in the depression) never even thinks of that option. Same with losing a relationship or losing anything else. There are always options but a severely depressed person cannot/does not think of them. The first thing that comes to mind is suicide. Another problem with someone who is in a severe depression is the inability to make sense of and figure things out and then do them. When I was depressed in 1983 it took me months to draw up a sales contract for some land. I would sit down, look at the papers (for hours), but nothing came into my head of how to go about it. Once I got out of the depression, I drew up sales papers in a matter of a couple of hours. Last year when I got depressed, I could not figure out how to lubricate my treadmill. I read the instructions. They were simple and easy. But I could not figure out how to do it. After I got on antidepressants, I lubricated that treadmill in 5 minutes, no problem, no mystery, easy as pie.
In addition, absolutely nothing made me smile when I was depressed. Nothing brought me joy or happiness. Nothing was funny. I was sort of in this shell of a body that seemed to have no feelings or responses to anything. And that is another thing, when one is depressed, one really has no feelings other than to feel completely hopeless and dejected and that there is no way out of it except suicide.
I actually have seen people who were in a major depression and who could not string enough words together to make a complete sentence. And, if they got a few words out, it took them forever ... maybe3-4 words in a full minute. There entire bodies (and minds) were in slow motion. Lucky for me I never got that depressed. A good friend of mine made an appointment with a psychiatrist (emergency basis), came over to my house, and physically took me to the psychiatrist. He started me on antidepressants immediately.
I don't know if that helps explain the difference between sadness/disappointment as opposed to major depression. But there is a huge difference and I know the difference between when I am in a major depression and when the feelings/symptoms are due to Hep C Tx side effects.
-----------------------------------------------------
It is not actually easy to describe major clinical depression to others. It is sort of like describing Hep C Tx side effects to others. It is difficult to understand if one has not been in the situation.
Many diseases (as well as Hep C Tx) can cause symptoms such as fatigue, loss of energy, loss of motivation, sleep disturbances, weight changes, crying spells for no apparent reason, back pain or headaches, changes in appetite, reduced sex drive.
In addition to the above, Hep C Tx can cause impaired concentration, distractibility, trouble thinking/ concentrating/remembering, irritability or frustration, irritability or angry outbursts, slowed thinking, feeling slowed down.
In addition to the above listed symptoms, major depression usually has many of the following symptoms: agitation or restlessness such as pacing, hand-wringing or an inability to sit still, loss of interest and/or pleasure in most activities, indecisiveness and inability to make decisions, feelings of worthlessness or guilt, slowed thinking, fixating on past failures and blaming oneself, feelings of sadness or unhappiness, recurring thoughts of death, dying or suicide.
While I had the more general side effects related to many diseases and disorders and those related to Hep C Tx, I did not have the following major depression symptoms: feeling very sad or unhappy, fixation on past happenings or failures, pacing or hand wringing or bouncing my knee. I did not have knots in my stomach, did not lose interest or pleasure in most activities, did not feel worthless, did not feel guilty, did not think about death, dying or suicide. I did not think I would be better off dead.
During Tx I had the general symptoms that can be due to many diseases and factors. But I did not have the more severe symptoms such as are listed in the above (last) paragraph. Therefore, I knew I was not in a major depression.
In addition, due to the chemical imbalance in the brain, major depression generally brings with it distorted thinking. The thinking is more in black and white, extremes, there is no in between. Examples: failed my exam solution is to kill myself; relationship disintegrated ... suicide again; lost my house ... suicide; reprimanded at work ... suicide. No other options/solutions make themselves known. Generally, when one fails an exam it is disappointing and perhaps embarrassing, but most people would just study more and make arrangements to take it again. The severely depressed person (while in the depression) never even thinks of that option. Same with losing a relationship or losing anything else. There are always options but a severely depressed person cannot/does not think of them. The first thing that comes to mind is suicide. Another problem with someone who is in a severe depression is the inability to make sense of and figure things out and then do them. When I was depressed in 1983 it took me months to draw up a sales contract for some land. I would sit down, look at the papers (for hours), but nothing came into my head of how to go about it. Once I got out of the depression, I drew up sales papers in a matter of a couple of hours. Last year when I got depressed, I could not figure out how to lubricate my treadmill. I read the instructions. They were simple and easy. But I could not figure out how to do it. After I got on antidepressants, I lubricated that treadmill in 5 minutes, no problem, no mystery, easy as pie.
In addition, absolutely nothing made me smile when I was depressed. Nothing brought me joy or happiness. Nothing was funny. I was sort of in this shell of a body that seemed to have no feelings or responses to anything. And that is another thing, when one is depressed, one really has no feelings other than to feel completely hopeless and dejected and that there is no way out of it except suicide.
I actually have seen people who were in a major depression and who could not string enough words together to make a complete sentence. And, if they got a few words out, it took them forever ... maybe3-4 words in a full minute. There entire bodies (and minds) were in slow motion. Lucky for me I never got that depressed. A good friend of mine made an appointment with a psychiatrist (emergency basis), came over to my house, and physically took me to the psychiatrist. He started me on antidepressants immediately.
I don't know if that helps explain the difference between sadness/disappointment as opposed to major depression. But there is a huge difference and I know the difference between when I am in a major depression and when the feelings/symptoms are due to Hep C Tx side effects.
Hi cupcake: For me, I think the anxiety I experienced correlated directly to my hemolytic anemia. The lower my HGB was, the lower I elt, physically and psychologically.
I havent experienced any "clinical depression" since being on Triple Tx, though. But then again, I havent ever sufered from clinical depression, at other times in my life.
My own theory is: what-ever psych symptoms we are prone to, may seriously exacerbate, while on Tx.
I havent experienced any "clinical depression" since being on Triple Tx, though. But then again, I havent ever sufered from clinical depression, at other times in my life.
My own theory is: what-ever psych symptoms we are prone to, may seriously exacerbate, while on Tx.
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