Depressed??
It is hard to be a single mom and not be depressed at least some of the time. It is normal to experience ups and downs, but if your mood is pretty consistently down for a period of time lasting longer than a month, you may be depressed.
Another key symptom of depression is loss of interest in things, or loss of the ability to enjoy the things you used to enjoy. You may suffer from Major Depression (the clinical term for depression) EVEN if you don't feel sad, down, low or blue, but you have lost interest in most things that you used to enjoy.
Along with low mood and loss of interest in things, depression typically will include at least 3 or 4 of the following symptoms:
Loss of weight (without dieting), gain in weight, or a decrease in appetite
Problems with sleep (either sleeping too much or too little)
Feeling fidgety or restless - or the opposite, sluggish and slowed down
Feelings of guilt or feelings of inferiority
Fatigue or loss of energy Problems with concentration or decision making
Thoughts of death (even passive thoughts, like you would rather just not wake up one day).
You should seek professional help if you are suffering from depression. If you are having serious thoughts of suicide, call a crisis hotline in your area, or go to an emergency room. Keep in mind that depression is very treatable.
When I am not writing for Suite101.com, I do depression research. I have been working on research studies for over 15 years now, and I know that many people are reluctant to seek treatment, or take medication. I often tell these people that they wouldn't think twice about taking medicine if they were a diabetic, or had hypertension. No one would expect a diabetic to "snap out of it". Depression is a neurochemical disorder involving a brain chemical known as serotonin. It is therefore, no less medically valid than other diseases of the body. Today's treatment of choice is usually one of the SSRI's (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors). These drugs help the brain keep more serotonin available in the synapse (the gap between neurons in the brain.)
It always strikes me as tragic, when people lose a lifetime to depression. It is a needless waste, which I have witnessed professionally, and personally. I watched my father spend an entire lifetime in what I now understand to have been an untreated depression. I see patients come in for treatment after years of stubbornly and stoically, suffering in silence. It is a pointless heroism. It makes me want to shout from a rooftops "You don't have to live like this! Please seek treatment. If you can't do it for yourself, please consider your loved ones, especially your children.
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