About Major Depressive Disorder

If you have the following symptoms other than feeling blue then you may have Major Depressive Disorder:

• Depression – feeling more than just blue but frequently empty and hopeless
• Decreased interest in doing things you enjoy doing such as:
  • hobbies
  • exercising
  • socializing
• Significant appetite disturbances either increased or decreased
• Significant sleep disturbances – too much or too little
• Decreased energy
• Increased anxiety – may or may not be situational; sometimes it may progress into a panic attack
• Feelings of worthlessness or excessive guilt
• Decreased ability to concentrate or do critical thinking
• Occasional agitation or the opposite i.e. functional retardation
• Occasional thoughts of suicide which must be evaluated ASAP

What treatment options are available?

Dr. Goldstein’s compassionate approach to treatment encompasses many different avenues, depending on your unique situation. Medications do not work instantly and frequently take time to be totally effective.  Sometimes medications may need to be changed when they are not working. In addition usually in order to achieve the best results medication management should be combined with psychotherapy.

See the Depression FAQ section for answers to typical questions regarding depression.