Top 5 Excuses: Avoiding Treatment/Rehabilitation For Depression

FACT: Over two thirds of people with major depression never seek appropriate treatment for it at a rehabilitation center and sometimes, the consequences can be devastating. The World Health Organization ranks depression as one of the world’s most disabling diseases, being responsible for personal suffering, missed work, broken marriages, health problems, and even death. Yet, with proper treatment and rehabilitation at a clinic, over 70% of people with clinical depression improve in often a matter of weeks.

Using Excuses

There are many reasons why a person does not seek out treatment or rehabilitation at a clinic. Many try to deal with it on their own, often not with very good results.

“I’ll give it time, it’ll pass with time.” is one excuse. The blues that B.B. King sang about on “Live in Cook County Jail” – that passes with time. Clinical depression does not. It’s important not to let a depression linger and to seek treatment and rehabilitation at a qualified center as soon as possible. It may linger indefinitely, if not. There may also be a biological cause that, like other medical conditions, often requires treatment to control or heal it.

“I don’t want to take antidepressants.” is another excuse. Rarely, if ever, is a patient required to take a pill for the rest of their lives, yet this is a common concern amongst those refusing treatment and rehabilitation. Although antidepressants are effective against depression, treatment for depression doesn’t always involve medication. Psychotherapy or cognitive-behavioral therapy is often helpful. Merely examining emotions, thoughts, and behaviours to try and improve your quality of life is sometimes enough to eliminate a depression.

“I don’t feel sad all the time.” is what some say but the truth is that you don’t need to feel sad or cry all day to be clinically depressed. Muscle pain, sleeping problems, or fatigue – these are all signs of depression. There are times that these symptoms accompany sadness and other times, when they don’t.

It Is, Even When It Isn’t: Masked Depression

There is also a phenomenon known to doctors as a “masked depression” where instead of the patient feeling sad, they’re more likely to report apathy, not feeling like themselves, or a blunted mood. It may simply be a loss of pleasure from favourite activities. Treatment or rehabilitation at a proper center can properly address these issues and lay them to rest.

“I’m embarrassed to talk to my doctor about it.” is the excuse most commonly used by men. The shame that some feel accompany a mental health problem is enough to prevent them from seeking the attention they desperately need at a treatment and rehabilitation center. Depression however is a medical condition, much like diabetes or high cholesterol. It’s also extremely common, affecting over 19 million people in the United States every year. That’s almost 7% of the population and this is regardless of gender, age, race, religion, sexuality, income, or education. This affects us all.

Fear of Talking

 “I’m afraid of having to talk about painful subjects in therapy.” is an excuse that everyone understands. Certain events transpire in our lives that some would rather remain private and they don’t want to undergo any sort of probing examination of their psychological pain. Despite this, sometimes, these sorts of painful discussions are needed to begin healing in a treatment and rehabilitation center. In many cases, it doesn’t need to be anywhere as deep or as scary as one might think and therapists understand that it is difficult to open up to a stranger. They’re able to guide you through that process and a therapist will never push you to open up too quickly or at a level that you’re not comfortable with.

If you feel like you may be experiencing symptoms of depression and are using reasons such as these to avoid seeking proper help though a treatment and rehabilitation center, it is important to examine the possibility that you may need to seek help. It is a terribly difficult thing for those not accustomed to doing so and who were raised thinking that asking for help makes you look weak. Clinical depression is a medical condition that depletes your potential and may turn you into a person that you don’t fully recognize. Contact a treatment center or rehabilitation center today and overcome that first hurdle of asking for help. That first step is most important. The sooner that your condition is addressed by a professional, the quicker you it can be dealt with, and the faster it can be conquered. Don’t let it waste away another day. Make first contact today.

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This article was written by Byron Merone, who made plenty of excuses before seeking treatment/rehabilitation for his depression.