Depression
Over 300 million people are affected annually by depression, making it one of the most common mental health conditions in the world. At Integrated Mind Medicine, we are committed to providing comprehensive mental health services to those who struggle with depression.
What is Depression?
Depression is a mental health condition that can affect the entire body, including the brain. It can negatively alter the way you think, behave, and feel. It may be defined as persistent feelings of sadness, loss of interest, and unrest that last longer than a few weeks.
Symptoms
Anyone can feel sad or even depressed at times. However, depression is a more intense feeling compared to the normal feelings of sadness. Depression is a mental illness that has a wide range of symptoms which can make it difficult to manage and maintain a good quality of life. They can impact a person’s ability to function, maintain relationships, keep commitments, or complete tasks.
Symptoms vary from person to person and appear during the night and day. Common symptoms or signs of depression include:
- A feeling of ongoing sadness, anxiety, or “emptiness”
- Aches or body pain such as migraines, cramps, or digestive problems
- Changes in appetite
- Decreased energy
- Difficulty concentrating
- Feeling inadequate
- Inability to make decisions
- Loss of interest
- Low self-esteem
- Thoughts of suicide or death
- Trouble sleeping or sleeping too much
Treatment
Often depression cannot be managed or treated alone. If you or a loved one has begun to show signs or symptoms of depression, seek help.
Fortunately, depression can be treated, and you can find relief from symptoms and improve your quality of life.
At Integrated Mind Medicine, we offer individual and group therapies, behavioral therapy, medication, consultation services, and will work with you to customize a treatment plan that fits your needs and lifestyle. Treatment can vary from therapy, lifestyle changes, stress management, prescription medication such as antidepressants, acupuncture, and other forms of therapies such as electrotherapy or transcranial magnetic stimulation. One unique treatment option for depression we offer is ketamine infusion therapy.
Anxiety
Anxiety disorders impact over 40 million people every year within the U.S. Though everyone may experience anxiety from time to time, anxiety disorders cause persistent stress or unease about even daily situations such as socializing with others, driving, or work. Left untreated, anxiety can significantly impact ones’ quality of life and ability to participate in activities that they used to enjoy.
Anxiety is an emotion characterized by strong feelings of tension, worry, physical changes such as an increase in blood pressure and heart rate. People with anxiety disorders have constant intrusive thoughts or concerns.
Anxiety disorders come in a variety of forms from general anxiety to more specific conditions such as social anxiety or panic disorders. Anxiety develops from several compounding factors, including genetics, brain chemistry, personality, and life events. Many patients who are diagnosed with anxiety may also have co-occurring illnesses such as substance abuse, depression, or other mental health conditions.
Symptoms
Common symptoms of anxiety include:
- Nervousness, restlessness, and feeling like you cannot relax
- Feelings of danger, panic, and dread
- Rapid heart rate and breathing or hyperventilation
- Increased or heavy sweating
- Muscle twitching or trembling
- Weakness or lethargy
- Difficulty focusing
- Insomnia
- Digestive problems
- Avoidant behavior
- Obsessions about certain ideas
Treatment
At Integrated Mind Medicine, we tailor each treatment plan to the individual needs of the patient. We will carefully go over any symptoms you are experiencing, your medical history, and any other relevant factors such as life events and behaviors.
Common treatments for anxiety include individual or group therapy, medication, lifestyle changes, and other various therapies such as cognitive-behavioral therapy or electroconvulsive therapy.
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a mental health condition triggered by experiencing or witnessing a traumatic event. It can affect anyone at any age.
For many, time and self-care can heal the trauma of such events, but for some, the experience leads to long-lasting symptoms that can interfere with daily activities. If these symptoms persist for months or years, you may have PTSD, and getting treatment is crucial to recovering from the trauma of your experience.
Symptoms
Symptoms of PTSD are generally grouped into four primary types:
- Avoidance
- Changes in physical and emotional reactions
- Intrusive memories
- Negative changes in thinking and mood
Those with PTSD may experience symptoms from one or all of these categories.
Treatment
We are a compassionate practice and know that the road to feeling like yourself again can be overwhelming at times. We take the time to thoroughly assess your symptoms and history before we recommend a course of treatment for you. Common treatment options include therapy, medication, and lifestyle changes.
Psychotropic/Psychopharmacological Medications
At Integrated Mind Medicine, we have expertise in prescribing psychotropic/psychopharmacological medications when appropriate for your diagnosis. These kinds of drugs are used to treat a variety of conditions by adjusting the levels of certain brain chemicals.
Some medications may take up to two weeks before they help with symptom relief, so it’s important to give any newly prescribed medications time to work before determining if they are a good fit for you.
If, after a medication has had time to work, and the side effects are unbearable or it is not helping your symptoms, we are always here to help find one that will work for you. Sometimes it’s only a matter of adjusting the dosage, and other times a different medication will need to be tried. It is imperative that you let your doctor know about any unpleasant side effects you are experiencing and whether the medication is helping ease your symptoms.
Telehealth
With the help of telemedicine we are able to bring our services to you, overcoming the barriers of time, distance, and even illness so that you have access to your provider when you need it most.
Telemedicine allows us to deliver a unique consultation experience to you remotely using HIPAA compliant video conferencing tools. This service allows you to connect to your provider with ease in a timely manner, and is designed with the patient in mind to be very user-friendly. Virtual consultations can be done using devices that most patients have easy access to such as a smartphone or a computer with a built-in video camera, so you won’t need to worry about having any specialized equipment.
Using our telemedicine service is simple, and our friendly staff would be happy to answer any questions you may have about utilizing this service prior to your appointment.