If you are searching for depression as a disability, then it might be that you or someone dear to you is struggling with depression. Depression is an acute mental health disorder, more than just sadness or low mood. This is a mental health condition that makes a man unable to work, make relationships, and live a healthy, balanced life.
Perhaps you face a daily struggle to just complete your tasks, or maybe the struggle to get out of bed feels more difficult than any physical challenge you have ever faced? Do you have trouble with sleeping patterns and hunger issues? You might come across and wonder, “Does this exhaustion, this deep sadness, count as a depression disability?
The short answer is, “Yes, depression can be a disability.”
What is depression?
Many people feel sadness or a low mood in their daily routine. Some have problems with jobs, relationships, or health concerns. But a major depressive disorder is a severe depression that affects every aspect of life, like job, relationships, routine, and activities. In some cases, depression affects you so badly that you become unable to work, eat, and your productivity scales low compared to your previous self. When that happens, it is important to know about your treatment options and important measurements to take.
What Is Disability In Mental Health?
Disability in mental health refers to a psychological and psychiatric condition that significantly damages a person’s ability to function in one or more major life activities. These could be work, education, self-care, social interactions, and cognitive functions like brain fog. Mental health disabilities can vary in severity and may be chronic.
Depression and anxiety can certainly be called a disability since they can affect an individual’s capability to engage in daily activities. The condition must cause a “limitation” in at least two areas of daily functioning, such as understanding information, interacting with others, concentration, and adapting to changes.
The most important thing to remember is that depression can be treated like other mental health issues. With the right support and care, it is possible to handle depression and its related symptoms to retain the quality of life. Below, we will look at how depression is counted as a disability, what help you might need, and how the therapies and medication can help you recover a balanced life.
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
The first place where depression is recognized as a disability is in the workplace, according to the Americanswith Disabilities Act (ADA). However, that does not mean it protects everyone who feels depressed; it protects you when your depression rises to chronic conditions and becomes major depressive disorder, and has severity.
When Does Depression Become Disability Under The ADA?
The ADA defines depression as a mental disorder that substantially limits one or more major life activities.
For major depressive disorders, these major life activities include more than just walking or learning.
You must have at least five of the following symptoms to call major depressive disorder disability:
- A consistent, sad, low mood.
- There is a major decrease in interest in almost all life activities.
- A major change in appetite or weight.
- Problems with sleep (insomnia or oversleeping).
- A slowing of physical movement or noticeable physical restlessness.
- Loss of energy or constant fatigue.
- Feelings of worthlessness or excessive guilt.
- Difficulty concentrating, thinking, or making decisions.
- Repeated thoughts of death or suicide.
How To Overcome The Symptoms Of Depression?
The treatment for depression starts with seeking the right help from professional psychiatrists.
Here are some of the most effective options available for you for major depression and disability.
Talk Therapy For Depression
One of the most effective professional treatments is talk therapy. By talking about depression with qualified and expert psychiatrists, you can explore the root causes of your depression and develop strategies to cope with it. Therapy provides a safe and supportive mechanism to share your feelings without feeling of being judged. This helps people to come out the depression, as half of your thoughts are resolved by sharing them with others.
How Do Therapies Help Treat Depression?
Therapies help treat depression more than medicines, as they offer a personalized approach, both understanding and managing symptoms.
Talk Therapies
There are various types of talk therapy that we can use in counseling. These therapies are proven to be effective in treating depression with the use of multiple techniques according to the individual’s needs.
- Cognitive behavioral therapy
One of our most effective therapies is cognitive behavioral therapy. This helps you recognize and change the negative thought patterns that can fuel depressive feelings. By changing these thought patterns with a positive mood, CBT can lead to lasting improvements.
- Interpersonal therapy
Next is interpersonal therapy, which is another effective approach. This focuses on the association between relationships and mood. This helps you to settle conflicts between relationships, maintain connections, and guide life changes that can be the cause of depression.
Therapies are also useful for setting meaningful treatment goals for major depressive disorder and making it a disability. You can measure your treatment process and recognize that every small step is leading the way to recovery.
Other than the specific and traditional techniques, therapy and counseling for depression provide a safe and non-judgmental space to explore your feelings, causes of depression, and address unresolved issues. With the guidance of professional expert therapists, you can be empowered to take meaningful steps toward recovery, take charge of your life, and be active in your professional life.
Medication
Medication can also be an effective treatment for major depressive disorders. This goes with the talk therapies for quick and immediate treatment results.Antidepressants can help regulate brain chemistry and reduce symptoms like sadness, fatigue, and difficulty concentrating.
Although medication cannot work equally for everyone, many people find significant relief through the right prescription and dosages. A psychiatrist can look at your conditions and medical history and then assess your needs with medication management.
Get Treatment And Counseling Therapies For Depression At Renewed
When you recognize the depressive low mood and are aware of it leading you towards disability at work, you can knock on the door of support. What’s most important is finding the expert and careful support that can work for you. So whether that’s talk therapy, medication, or other modern options, you can find peace.
At Renewed, we are here to help. Our expert psychiatrists and clinicians provide personalized care tailored to individual needs. If you reside in Ontario, Long Beach, Orange County, or La Palma and want to take the first step toward healing, contact our team. You don’t have to suffer from depression anymore and let it cause a disability. Our support is just a call away. If you are worried about the cost of treatment, then don’t worry, as we work with major insurance plans to cover mental health treatments.With the right care, depression is treatable, manageable, and it’s possible to overcome.