It can be difficult for anyone to admit when they are slipping in life. In a performance orientated culture, people tend to view less productivity as attributed to personal laziness.
However, this can be very far from the truth if depression is at play. Depression is a
medical illness that not only affects the mind, but also the body as well. People that are depressed have reported physical pain if the ailment is not treated.
That is why it can be confusing to people who are sleeping more or less than usual and gaining or losing weight. They feel that they can snap themselves out of it, but do not yet know that they actually suffer from a mental illness.
In
Edmonton, psychologists are studying fascinating new ways to help treat depression.
Dr. Horst Mueller is one of these individuals, and he is the only private practitioner exploring the frontiers of neuropathy.
His clinic is called
Edmonton Neuropathy, and is located within
Mind Alive Inc. on
6716-75 Street Edmonton. This is where clients can go to receive a neurometric read on their brain functioning and EEG brain imaging. These technologies belong in the field of neuropathy, where they are used to help the brain normalize functioning and correct pathways that are not working efficiently.
Dr. Mueller’s website contains many videos regarding the technologies, and those interested in finding cutting edge treatments to depression can visit the site.
MyHealth.Alberta.ca is a website that contains
information regarding getting help for depression in Alberta. They recommend that in an emergency situation, the patient or their family call 911. People might not associate this line with helping depressed people, but often the situation goes on for too long until it is at a crisis point. The person might be feeling suicidal, and these thoughts should always be taken seriously.
This site also has a list of places where people can go to
get mental health screening.
One place is Alberta that specializes in psychiatry is the
Alberta Hospital located at
17480 Fort Road, Edmonton. Its facilities are entirely donated to helping patients regain their health after mental health setbacks. This hospital’s services are obtained through a doctor’s referral. However, the staff at Alberta Health can always be called at
(780) 342-5555 if families or patients have questions about obtaining relevant services for depression in their community.
While there are conventional treatments available as well as new cutting edge research to people in Edmonton who suffer from depression, the hardest step is always
recognition. It is not always easy for a person who has depression to recognize their condition. That’s why loved ones around the person can encourage a person that help might be needed.
People can offer to go to take the initial diagnostic steps with the individual, and that might help them feel more motivated. Depression can escalate into psychosis if left untreated or even just because the depression has psychotic features. At that point, the individual can be easily
misdiagnosed with schizophrenia. That would mean that the patient would only get treatment for the psychotic features and not necessarily the depression. This would only worsen the depression and confuse onlookers more. They might even be forced to take a larger dose of antipsychotics because they are not getting better.
Most psychiatrists are vigilant regarding misdiagnosis. But many are still learning about depression in its more serious forms, such as with psychotic features or bipolar depression. Patients still need to be advocates for their own mental health and seen as equal partners in treatment plans.
It might be scary taking the first steps toward an establishment when a person is feeling down and maybe a little paranoid as well, but it is worth getting better. When depression is an illness, it
needs treatment or the symptoms just get worse.
