Handling Depression from Bloomfield Township on Vimeo.
BMC’s Carrie Krawiec was recently featured on the Bloomfield Township Bottom Line, a local television show that raises awareness for issues that the community faces as a whole. Carrie was asked to talk about depression, and how to recognize it within friends and family. Carrie and host Cindy Kainz delve into how depression may manifest within both adults and teens, and the distinctions between several types of clinical and non-clinical depression.
Key points that Carrie raises regarding recognition of depression include:
- While grieving can be normal when dealing with tragedies, if the person appears to show excessive self-blame, guilt, loss of appetite, loss of interest in normal activities, or if there is an increase in suicidal ruminations, then they may very likely need help
- Sometimes depressed people can joke about thoughts of suicide, but still may be rather serious. Typically asking them to rank their mood on a scale from 1-10 can help better gauge their thoughts.
- Pessimism and negative thinking can often be a precursor to depression, not just a symptom of depression.
- Although teens can have a hard time being upfront about their feelings, if you ask them directly if they’ve been feeling depressed, they’ll usually either be honest, or have a sudden change in affect that indicates depression.
If you have any question whether or not someone in your life has depression, do not hesitate to seek help or a clinical assessment. If you are a resident of Bloomfield Township or surrounding areas and you feel that you or a loved one may be suffering from depression, you can contact the Birmingham Maple Clinic for further guidance.