October is Depression Awareness Month and Oct. 10 is the World Health Organization’s World Mental Health Day. It’s a distinction that is important to local mental health experts.
“The way I think about it as a psychiatrist is the importance of that day is elevating the idea that mental health is as important in medicine as anything in the physical realm,” said Dr. Luke Piper, a psychiatrist at UPMC Lititz. “I think one of the problems that contributes to the stigma of mental health is the idea is that it’s somehow different from the rest of the things in the body that could go wrong…that mental health is something people have clear personal control over.”
Piper says it’s important that mental illness is viewed the same as other medical issues with the body. He says there are many different factors that can cause depression or anxiety and that if you notice a family member or friend is off, you should encourage them to seek help.
Sometimes there are physical symptoms like not sleeping, sleeping too much, low energy or a change in appetite. But sometimes the symptoms are less noticeable. In children and adolescents, it can appear more like irritability.
What is the difference between depression and just feeling down?
“As opposed to normal sadness or grief where a person might feel bad or feel sad, but they’re still able to do things they would normally enjoy,” Piper said. “They’re still able to socialize, they’re still able to go to work and function well, they’re still able to live their lives. Depression is a much broader collection of symptoms that can be quite impairing and disabling.”
If you’d like more information on World Mental Health Day, click here.
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