Depression
There may be days you know you should be outdoors but for some reason you can't get up in the morning, your body feels heavy and tired, and you want to sleep through the day.
For some, it can manifest as recurrent body aches and pains which can become debilitating. You may start feeling guilt that you aren't able to fulfill your chores and tasks, and when things go wrong, everything seems to be your fault, even when logically you know it is not. Your ability to focus at work can be diminished and instead of getting a project done, you find yourself withdrawn or looking for a distraction. At times you will find yourself surfing the Internet, despite the fact that a deadline is fast approaching.
Sometimes you find that your mind wanders to unhappy thoughts, provoking tears, and no matter what you do, you can’t seem to shake it. Wanting to be left alone yet at the same time needing someone to care for you, can be confusing.
Anxiety
Anxiety and depression are often two sides of the same coin. One inevitably leads to the other. You might feel overwhelmed and afraid.
Some people experience panic, which is a sensation of urgency, feeling vulnerable, and internally exposed. In those instances, you may not be able to identify the cause. To solve the problem, your mind will preoccupy itself with overthinking, searching for solutions, but instead of relief, you experience unrelenting stress and worry.
Mood / Bipolar
Swings can be challenging. One week you can feel hyped up, capable of accomplishing a great deal and you don't see a reason to stop. You may say or do things at the spur of the moment, things you may later feel embarrassed about. The next week you experience a long period when you lose all that energy and you are unable to experience any pleasure or satisfaction in anything you do.
You can lose your self-confidence, and even feel like you have no significant reason to live. These shifts in your mood can make you angry, irritable, and short-tempered, affecting your relationships, your job and your self-esteem.
Opiate Addiction
Opiate addiction and overdose are a leading cause of death in the United States. Many people who have become addicted to opiates initially came across it within the normal parameters of temporary treatment of pain and discomfort, perhaps after a surgical procedure. It can take as little as 5 days for the brain to become addicted and begin “over-interpreting” routine pain signals causing one to seek higher doses to manage symptoms. In addition, new onset of depression, hopelessness, anxiety, worry, and overthinking can emerge as one is consumed by the vicious spiral of chasing pain leading to wanting higher amounts of pain drugs.
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Buprenorphine/naloxone is the first FDA approved medication to treat opioid use disorder (OUD) that can be prescribed or dispensed in physician offices, significantly increasing access to treatment. Unlike other opiates, this unique drug was designed to treat cravings, prevent opioid withdrawal, and reduce abuse while offering freedom to engage in your daily living. Suboxone is intended for long term daily use, rather than “as needed.”
Peri-natal depression & parenthood
For a parent with a new child, you may feel as though you have turned into a completely different person that you no longer recognize. There are preconceived ideas of what it means to be a parent. New parents often expect more of themselves than other people expect of them, but that doesn't help the fact that you can feel inadequate. For example, mothers may have difficulty nursing, sleeping, or connecting with their baby. Fathers may feel deficient, mis-utilized, or misunderstood.
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Anxiety comes about when you can’t make decisions on matters that used to be simple, and now seem beyond your capacity to deliberate. You may also feel anxious about allowing anyone else to care for your baby resulting in alienating well-intentioned loved ones. Oftentimes you may have thoughts that frighten you. You may feel afraid to talk about this with anyone for fear that you will be judged or ashamed. This can lead you to feel isolated and helpless. These are all tremendous changes, which can affect how you feel about yourself, your partner, and how you feel about your children.