The stress of coping with the difficulties and setbacks we all face in life can be discouraging. But how do we know if we, or someone that we know, have moved beyond mere discouragement toward clinical depression?

There are some keys signs and symptoms of depression that will help us determine where we are emotionally and if we need depression treatment.

Symptoms of Clinical Depression

The symptoms of depression are fairly standardized and include:

• Fatigue and decreased energy
• Feelings of worthlessness, hopelessness, loneliness, and helplessness
• Insomnia (difficulty sleeping), early morning awakening
• Excessive sleeping
• Difficulty concentrating or remembering details
• Irritability
• Severe changes in appetite- overeating or loss of appetite
• Persistent feelings of sadness, and emptiness
• Loss of interest in activities once enjoyed
• Thoughts of harming yourself or suicidal thoughts

Diagnosing Clinical Depression

Merely having some of the symptoms of major depression for a brief period of time is not enough to warrant a clinical diagnosis of major depression. These symptoms experienced over a prolonged period of time and which interfere with leading a normal, active life are reliable indicators that a person may be clinically depressed and in need of depression treatment.

Researchers vary in their estimations of the commonality of major depression with some studies relating that 30 % (or 1 in 3) Americans will experience major depression while other studies put the depression rates somewhere around 50 % of the US adult population.

If you or someone you know does exhibit these symptoms over a long periods of time- it is time to get some help.

Diagnosing clinical depression is best left to medical and mental health professionals- but all of us should know (from a layman’s perspective) the signs and symptoms of depression. This is especially important when someone is feeling suicidal. Research reflects that approximately 1 in 10 people who are clinically depressed go on to commit suicide (this is a conservative estimate).

If you or someone you know is suicidal do not hesitate to call 1-800-SUICIDE or 1-800-273-TALK. Getting people who are suffering from major depression the help they need is of paramount importance.

The good news is- help is available.

Get Depression Treatment Early

Because one of the key complications stemming from depression is a lack of motivation, sometimes a depressed person needs someone to reach out with compassion and help that person get in touch with the right people- this may be a family physician, a psychiatrist, or a mental health professional.

These professionals have specialized training in diagnosing and treating not only the symptoms of depression but its underlying causes. Often certain medications can be prescribed to stabilize one’s mood while the person participates in therapeutic counseling to deal with the root issues that provoked the depressive episode in the first place.

If the symptoms of depression are negatively impacting your life, your relationships, your work or your family- then seek help at once.

Treating depression early can prevent things from getting worse.

Remember, feeling depressed does not mean you have a major depressive disorder. However, if you can’t pull yourself out of your symptoms don’t suffer in silence, talk to your physician or a mental health provider and get the help you need to enjoy an active, normal life.

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In my own experience, the two factors were both present in my life and combined to form overwhelming symptoms of depression coupled with panic attacks and other anxiety symptoms.  I overcame both anxiety and depression.

You can too.

Let’s take a minute to talk about the causes, symptoms and treatment techniques for stress and anxiety.  I will also share my philosophy for overcoming depression.

The Origins Of My Anxiety Depression

My anxiety and depression had their origins in a toxic combination of low self esteem, the need to be perfect and a fear of making mistakes.

My grandfather was a perfectionist.

He entered the army in World War II at the age of 17 and within two years of battlefield promotions, he was a sergeant leading a company of men into combat.  He was a teenager leading other teenagers into battle.  The consequences of a mistake were deadly.  If he made a mistakes, men died, and it was all this teenager’s fault (whether it really was or not).

As a result, there was only one way to do any job….and that was the “right way.”  Failure was evidence of a mistake and mistakes were to be punished verbally and sometimes physically.  I still remember that seven year old boy, wrapped in a life jacket and heavy coat, being verbally abused by his grandfather while fishing because the little boy had the audacity to cast his bait and become hung on a stump.

As a result, I learned that mistakes were bad and were to be avoided.  In additions, any problem could and should be solved by simply working harder.  If I failed it was because I was stupid, lazy or inadequate.

After all, real men were never wrong, never made mistakes and always managed to get the job done perfectly….every time.  As a result of my conditioning, I developed a ridiculous limiting beliefs, consistent negative self talk, low self esteem and fear of failure.

I was a walking, talking depression and anxiety factory.

My Spiral Into Anxiety and Depression

At first, my core beliefs served me well.

I graduated with honors from high school, college and law school.  I secured a great job as an attorney and married my high school sweetheart.  I had a good job and a corner office in a downtown Houston law firm.

I was held in high regard by my family, friends and colleagues.

Then it happened…..I began to fail.

In the highly competitive world of a trial lawyer, it is obvious to everyone when you lose.  So, in an effort to keep from losing, I avoided the inevitable conflict associated with my job.  When I could not longer avoid the conflict, I simply changed jobs.

Each attempt to avoid conflict increased my anxiety.  Each attempt to avoid conflict lowered my self esteem.  Real man weren’t afraid to fight.  Real men did not fail.

In the ultimate effort to avoid the inevitable conflict of the courtroom, I became an entrepreneur and real estate investor.  As I purchased more and more real estate while I practiced law, I became more and more burned out, tired and depressed.

The solution was obvious, I needed to quit being lazy and simply work harder.

Finally, in 2006, I simply had too much to do.  I collapsed under all of the stress and burnout.  I began having anxiety attacks and developed hypertension.  My Crohn’s Disease flared and left me physically ill and debilitated.

I could not go on.

I failed and there was no way to avoid facing it.  As I faced my perceived inadequacy, I sunk into a debilitating clinical depression.  I had all of the classic depression symptoms:  feelings of hopelessness, inadequacy and low self esteem.

I wanted out.  I wanted to run away.

I contemplated everything from abandoning my spouse and job to staging my death to suicide.

Finding My Way From Darkness To Light

The symptoms of depression anxiety have their origins in a feeling of low self worth, hopelessness and lack of control.  In essence, my anxiety depression developed out of the belief that I was stupid, worthless and weak and there was not a thing I could do about it.  I needed a paradigm shift in order to return to stop the anxiety attacks and return to my path.  In 2006, serendipity intervened and I received the help I needed in overcoming depression.

In 2006, a friend mentioned that he had heard of a new movie, called The Secret.  He did not know what it was about, but heard that it was a good movie to help people get out of their rut.

Interestingly, to this day, my friend has never seen the movie.

But, this movie has changed my life.

As a result of seeing the movie, The Secret, I had a paradigm shift.  The philosophy underlying the law of attraction addressed all of the self defeating thoughts and limiting beliefs I had been taught throughout my life.

I am divine.  I am a child of God with all of his power at my disposal.  I can consciously create my own reality and do not have to take from others in order to have my own abundance.  As such, I cannot be worthless.  I am a powerful and important bit of divine consciousness.

I have control.  I am responsible for my own circumstances and create them as a result of my beliefs.  My self talk and attitude (good or bad) creates my reality.

I have hope.  Because I am a child of God, I am divine.  I can control my beliefs and improve my circumstances.  God loves me as a father loves his child.  God does not punish me.  I punish myself with my own negative, self defeating thoughts.

Indeed, if I am in the prison of depression and anxiety, it is constructed of bars made of my own self defeating, limiting beliefs.  As I learned to apply the law of attraction, I began to see small changes in my life.  I built upon each small success and manifested larger helpings of abundance in my life.

Happiness Is A Journey, Not A Destination

Even now, I still struggle with limiting beliefs and self defeating behavior.  Right now, as I write this article, I am struggling with procrastination and feelings of being overwhelmed.  However, instead of spiraling into a state of anxiety and depression, I am working slowly and deliberately with the knowledge that everything will be okay.

I know that throughout my life, I will continue to face obstacles to my bliss, but this is the nature of things.

A lump of coal becomes a diamond by intense pressure.  I bar of steel becomes a razor sharp sword by countless heating, hammering and folding.  I piece of pottery is shaped first by the pressure of the potter’s fingers and then is hardened in an oven of fire.

It is by overcoming obstacles that we strengthen our faith in our divine nature.  As we gain faith in ourselves and He who created us, we become more powerful.  As we become more powerful, we recognize and realize the complete nature of our true divinity as children of God.

I have often heard that “life is a game.”  More and more, I am realizing that this statement is true.  Games consist of overcoming obstacles and tasting the flavor of victory.

But, games are supposed to be fun.

I have come to believe that the purpose of life is to give us an arena in which we can develop our skills of conscious creation.  It is an arena where we can experiment, test and break through the boundaries of our own divinity.

We are meant to chase the light.

As we learn to use our God breathed divinity to overcome the obstacles of life, we become more peaceful, serene and more able to reflect the countenance of god, in whose image we were created.

BOILERPLATE LAWYER CRAP: This article is about my bout with depression and anxiety.  My experience might have been different than your experience.  All I can relate is how I resolved my anxiety and depression.   I am a doctor, but not a medical doctor.  As such, if you are suffering from symptoms of anxiety and depression, do not suffer in silence.  Get help from a qualified and trusted spiritual, medical or mental health advisor.  Help is out there and there is a solution to your suffering.  This article is about a solution, but it is not the only solution.

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