Depression and Recovery
Do you feel depressed or suffer from depressive symptoms? Many people in recovery also have depression. Depression is a common mental illness that many people suffer from at some point in life. Millions of Americans every year are diagnosed with depression. Coping with depression alongside a substance use disorder can be tricky. However, both can be done as part of a recovery program.
Mental disorders and addiction often go hand-in-hand. Depression is incredibly common, and many types of treatment are available for people who struggle with it. Some people cope with seasonal depression or clinical depression. Other people who are treated for depression only suffer from it for some time.
Therapy, Recovery, and Depression
Depressive symptoms can be upsetting and make you feel hopeless, pessimistic, or sad. Alongside the ups and downs of getting sober, these feelings can be challenging. If you’re diagnosed with a mental health disorder, a mental health professional will help you get started with treating it. Some people benefit from talk-therapy and cognitive behavioral therapy. Others may also need medication alongside treatment.
Symptoms of depression:
- Negative thoughts and self-talk. Do you feel bad about yourself or put yourself down? The pain of depression can cause low self-esteem.
- Low energy and enthusiasm. You may feel like getting back into bed. You may even feel being in bed is preferable to any other activities of the day.
- Feeling upset easily. Small things may bring you to tears, and you may think the world is awful and rotten. There’s not much you can think of that you enjoy anymore.
- Acting out. You may tell yourself “nothing matters” and take risks that are dangerous or harmful to yourself or others.
- Isolation. You may not want to leave the house or be around people, even virtually. Loneliness does not bring you solace, but you may think you “deserve” to feel bad.
- Dwelling on the bad. You may think about all the bad things going on in life or painful parts of your past.
- Living an unhealthy lifestyle. You may decide to skip meals, eat junk food, stop exercising, or stop wearing a mask because you no longer care if you feel healthy or not.
Getting Help
If you are suffering from depression, in or out of recovery, help is available. You can choose to see a mental health provider or make an online appointment with a psychiatrist. Many people who come to seek drug treatment also get the help they need to recover from mental health disorders.
In recovery, you are never alone! Reach out to your support network if you feel like using or have depressive symptoms!
While the COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way people get healthcare, there is still plenty available. Ask for help from friends, a sponsor, or a drug treatment professional if you’re experiencing depression. You DO deserve to feel better, and you CAN get the help you need to start looking forward to life in sobriety.
If you or somebody you love suffers from addiction, we’re here to help! We can also help treat mental health disorders like depression alongside addiction. Get in touch to learn more about how we can help by calling us at US (949) 279-1376 • MX (612) 153-5726.