Is It Sadness or Depression? Know When You Need Extra Help

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Everyone feels sad or blue occasionally, but some people feel down more often than is healthy. While ordinary sadness passes with time, depression is more serious and lasts longer. In fact, depression is a common and treatable form of mental illness.

The good news is, if you believe that you or someone you know may suffer from depression, help is readily available. With the support of family and friends, plus therapy or medication recommended by your doctor, it is possible to overcome depression. But first, you must learn to recognize the symptoms of depression and be aware of the resources available for treatment.

How Is Depression Diagnosed?
According to the Mayo Clinic, depression often goes undiagnosed. However, if your doctor suspects you may have depression, a number of medical tests can help to confirm a diagnosis and rule out other conditions:

• Questionnaire: During a routine medical visit, your doctor or primary care physician may ask you about how you've been feeling and what your mood has been like. You may be asked to take a short questionnaire. This will help your doctor identify your symptoms.
• Physical exam: Your doctor may want you to have a physical exam to provide information about your heart rate, blood pressure, and other vital signs.
• Lab tests: A blood test called a "complete blood count" and a thyroid test can help rule out other conditions. Certain health conditions, such as thyroid problems, may cause symptoms similar to depression.
• Psychological tests. Your doctor may want to refer you to a psychologist or other mental health provider, who can administer a more detailed psychological evaluation. This evaluation can help assess your feelings, thoughts, and patterns of behavior that may indicate depression.

What Are the Symptoms of Depression?
In order to diagnose you with depression, your healthcare provider will need to determine that you have certain symptoms that are described in a medical guide called the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, or DSM. This manual is published by the American Psychiatric Association.
Depression has many symptoms. You may be suffering from depression if you have experienced at least five of these symptoms over the course of the last two weeks:

• Feeling decreased enjoyment or no pleasure in your daily activities throughout the day, most days of the week
• Feeling a depressed mood (sad or tearful) throughout the day, most days of the week
• Sleeping problems: either trouble sleeping or an increased desire to sleep on most days
• Fatigue or decreased energy on most days
• Observable restlessness or slowed behavior
• Weight or appetite changes: weight loss without dieting, weight gain, or a change in appetite on most days
• Feelings of excessive guilt or worthlessness on most days
• Indecisiveness or difficulty concentrating on most days
• Recurring thoughts of suicide or attempting suicide

A diagnosis of depression is usually only made if one of your symptoms is a depressed mood, a loss of interest, or loss of the ability to experience pleasure.
Put It in Practice: Take a Step Toward Health and Happiness
When you learn the difference between depression and everyday blues, you'll be better equipped to decide whether you might need help. There's no need to suffer in silence. There are many effective forms of treatment for depression. Often a combination of psychotherapy and medication can help you start to feel better within a few weeks. If you think you may be experiencing depression, don't delay: Talk to your doctor, psychologist, or other mental health counselor. Your healthcare provider can help you determine whether you have depression and possible treatment options.

What Is Sexual Anorexia?

Sexual Anorexia Defined

Sexual anorexia is having little or no desire for sexual contact. Anorexia means “interrupted appetite.” People who have sexual anorexia actively avoid, fear or dread sexual intimacy. Inhibited sexual desire, sexual avoidance, and sexual aversion are phrases that describe the same condition. Sexual anorexia can include problems such as impotence in men, but often there is no physical cause. Both men and women can suffer from sexual anorexia.

Symptoms

The main symptom of sexual anorexia is a lack of sexual desire or interest. A person with sexual anorexia may also show fear and anger when the subject of sex comes up. Slovenian physician Dr. Sanja Rozman explained at the 2011 Global Addiction Conference that someone with sexual anorexia can become obsessed with avoiding sex to the point that it “dominates one’s life.”

Causes

Both physical and emotional problems can lead to sexual anorexia in some people.
Physical causes can include:

• hormone imbalances
• recent childbirth
• breastfeeding
• medication use
• exhaustion

Common emotional causes of sexual anorexia are:

• sexual abuse and rape
• negative attitude toward sex
• strict religious upbringing in relation to sex
• communication problems
• power struggles with a partner or loved one

Diagnosis

Sexual anorexia can be difficult to diagnose. There is no single test to identify the condition. Blood tests can show hormone levels that might interfere with libido. Talk therapy with a counselor, psychiatrist, or sex therapist can also help diagnose severe lack of sexual desire.

Medical Treatment

Hormone therapy is an effective form of treatment for some people with sexual anorexia. Adults who suffer from inhibited sexual desire because of low testosterone or estrogen levels may benefit from medical treatment. This can be especially helpful for men with lack of sexual interest related to erectile dysfunction. Menopausal women with low desire may also benefit from hormone replacement therapy to help boost libido.

Therapy

The emotional side of sexual anorexia needs to be treated too.  Couples counseling, relationship training, and sessions with a sex therapist are all options to consider. Conflict resolution can play a positive role in treating problems with sexual desire. People who were brought up thinking that sex is wrong, as well as people who have suffered from sexual trauma, can work through their past issues with a trusted professional in an effort to gain a healthy attitude toward sex.

Sexual Anorexia and Pornography

The availability of online pornography may be linked to sexual anorexia in some cases. Researchers from the Italian Society of Andrology and Sexual Medicine (SIAMS) studied more than 28,000 Italian men. They found that looking at vast amounts of porn from early adolescence eventually caused the men to feel detached and uninterested in real-life sexual situations

 

 

Sexual Anorexia Vs. Sexual Addiction

Some people with sexual anorexia go through cycles where they experience symptoms of sexual addiction as well. Dr. Patrick Carnes, author of Sexual Anorexia: Overcoming Sexual Self-Hatred, explains that in many people, sexual anorexia and sexual addiction come from the same belief system. Think of it as two sides of the same coin. The need to be in control one’s life, the feelings of despair, and preoccupation with sex are present in both conditions. Sex addicts are too compulsive and promiscuous to take control and deal with the negativity in their lives. The difference is that sexual anorexics gain the control they crave by rejecting sex.

Outlook

The outlook for people with sexual anorexia varies greatly. The medical half of the equation can be relatively easy to fix. But the deep psychological component of sexual anorexia can be difficult—and time consuming—to treat. Many centers that deal with sexual addiction have treatment programs for sexual anorexia too. Keeping the lines of communication open can help prevent your partner from feeling rejected. Focusing on nonsexual affection and touch may help couples work through an inhibited sex drive with feelings of hope for the future.