Many mental disorders can spur from the development of substance use disorder. One example is severe depression. People who suffer from this disorder often turn to drugs to lessen the symptoms of severe depression. To fully understand the dangers that this condition poses, you have to learn more about it.

What Is Depression?

Depression is a type of mood disorder that can affect people’s thoughts, feelings and moods. In general, it touches every aspect of their lives. It isn’t a type of character flaw or weakness. Instead, it’s a chemical imbalance in the brain that requires medical attention.

Severe depression takes this disorder to the next level. People who suffer from severe cases might experience depressive episodes for long periods of time. In some cases, the episodes are so intense that they have thoughts of suicide.

What Are Some Symptoms of Severe Depression?

Everyone who has severe depression experiences it in different ways. As a result, the symptoms of severe depression vary from person to person. With that said, most people suffer from fairly common symptoms at one point or another. These include:

• Irritability
• Hopelessness
• Ongoing thoughts that something terrible will happen
• Excessive sleeping
• Insomnia
• Lost interest in hobbies and friends

Some of these symptoms of severe depression contradict themselves. That alone demonstrates why not everyone experiences this disorder in the same way. For example, people don’t usually suffer from excessive sleeping and insomnia at the same time.

In some cases, severe depression becomes so bad that people have psychotic symptoms. For instance, they might have delusions or hallucinations. While these are uncommon in those with normal depression, they become more common in cases of severe depression.

Not All Depression Is the Same

Keep in mind that not all cases of depression are the same. In fact, it’s pretty typical for people to experience some form of depression from time to time. It’s a normal human emotion after all.

However, there are some cases in which depression becomes extreme. When it interferes with people’s daily lives or causes thoughts of suicide, it’s important to get help. People who don’t are more likely to self-medicate their problems with drugs. Ongoing self-medication can lead to dependence and addiction, which make treatment more complex.

Let Us Help You With Severe Depression

At Steps to Recovery, we don’t just help people overcome addiction. Our Pennsylvania addiction recovery services also include treatment for underlying mental problems. That’s why we offer depression treatment. Some of the other services and programs that we provide include:

• Family therapy
• Intensive outpatient rehab
• Partial hospitalization program
• Dual diagnosis treatment
• Group therapy
• Individual therapy

Learn more about the symptoms of severe depression. Don’t let underlying mental disorders keep you from overcoming addiction. Reach out to us today at 267.719.8528.