Hope for Depression

What Is Major Depression?

Major depressive disorder is a serious medical illness affecting an estimated 15 million American adults and is a leading cause of disability in Americans. Symptoms of depression may last for 2 weeks or more, occurring nearly every day, and may include:

Depressed Mood

Most of the day — feeling sad, empty, hopeless, or on the verge of tears

Loss of interest

...or pleasure in activities you once enjoyed

Changes in appetite

Such as loss of appetite or increased appetite and weight gain…especially with Alaska winters

Difficulty sleeping

Insomnia or sleeping too much

Changes in motor activity

Restlessness or feeling slowed down

Fatigue

...or a loss of energy

Feeling worthless

...or guilty — negative self-talk

A lack of concentration

...or difficulty with decision making

Thoughts of death

...or suicide or feeling like your life is not worth living

What Is Major Depression?

Major depressive disorder is a serious medical illness affecting an estimated 15 million American adults and is a leading cause of disability in Americans. Symptoms of depression may last for 2 weeks or more, occurring nearly every day, and may include:

Depressed Mood

Most of the day —
feeling sad, empty, hopeless, or
on the verge of tears

Loss of interest

...or pleasure in activities
you once enjoyed

Changes in appetite

Such as loss of appetite or
increased appetite and weight
gain…especially with Alaska winters

Difficulty sleeping

Insomnia or sleeping
too much

Changes in motor activity

Restlessness or feeling
slowed down

Fatigue

...or a loss of energy

Feeling worthless

...or guilty — negative
self-talk

A lack of concentration

...or difficulty with
decision making

Thoughts of death

...or suicide or feeling like
your life is not worth living

Educating Yourself is the First Step

Educating Yourself
is the First Step

Depression can cause you to isolate yourself from others, including friends, family, and cause impairments in your interpersonal, social and work functioning. Professional intervention is advised and there are medical professionals who can provide help.

Educating yourself about depression is the first step along the treatment path to wellness. If you believe you or a loved one may have depression, please read about the typical treatment path and take our depression quiz. You’ll learn about the symptoms you may be experiencing, the many therapy options available, and what to expect during treatment.

For some, depression can be effectively treated with talk therapy, and for others they respond to a combination of talk therapy along with antidepressant medication. Unfortunately, not everyone responds to these treatments.

Treatment Resistant Depression

We know that as many as 40% of individuals who have tried therapy and often multiple antidepressant trials are still suffering and experiencing ongoing symptoms of depression. This is what we call Treatment Resistant Depression (TRD).

Am I Depressed?

Take a simple, nine-question depression screen below to find out if the symptoms you’re experiencing may be clinical depression. This screen is the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), the industry-wide gold standard for assessing clinical depression. The PHQ-9 is one of the tools we use to regularly assess our patients’ progress.

Take the Depression Quiz

0-4         Minimal Depression
5-9         Mild Depression
10-14     Moderate Depression
15-19     Moderately Severe Depression
20-27     Severe Depression

If you scored a 10 or higher, you are likely suffering from moderate to severe Depression and would benefit from treatment. *

*Disclaimer: This questionnaire is for information only and is not intended as a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.