Depression is difficult not only for the person battling the condition, but for those caring for him as well. If you have a loved one who is depressed, you might not know how to help him seek help and feel better. You may need the help of professionals trained in mental health, especially when the cause of your loved one’s depression is rooted in a chronic health condition.
When Health Conditions Lead to Depression
While anyone can become depressed for various reasons, sometimes people become depressed due to health conditions that are out of their control. Sometimes it’s the disease itself that leads to changes in the brain that cause depression, sometimes it’s the medications creating side effects that lead to depression, and often other times, it’s the pain and loss of capabilities due to a disease.
Some common diseases that may cause depression in adults:
- All types of cancer
- Parkinson’s disease
- ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease
- Diabetes
- Loss of vision or hearing
- Stroke
- Heart disease
- Dementia
- Lupus
- Thyroid disorders
- Multiple Sclerosis
In reality, any chronic health condition can lead to depression, especially when it interferes with your loved one’s daily quality of life. Whether the disease has a long recovery course or whether there is no cure for it, your loved one might need outpatient mental health services in Baltimore to help him manage his mental health as well as his physical health.
Mental Health Services in Baltimore Offer Hope
There are several types of mental health services your loved one may want to seek to help him manage and overcome his depression. He might find that seeking out several of these options can help him zero in on the one that works best for him. Sometimes, it can take multiple attempts and multiple therapists to find the one that is the perfect fit for your loved one. The goal is to help your loved one address the cause of depression and then work on finding relief from the symptoms.
Either of these three types of therapy can help your loved one start on a road to better mental health.
1. Support Groups
If your loved one is battling a chronic disease that doesn’t have a cure, he might find help and support in the support group of other individuals who are battling the same or a similar disease. It can be a safe place to talk about his daily battles while knowing that others in the group truly understand because they face the same battles.
2. Supportive Counseling
If your loved one has a strong faith, this can mean meeting with a pastor or church counselor for spiritual support through his battles. It can also be counseling from a peer who’s “been there, done that” and can offer support and understanding, unlike others who haven’t battled what he is battling.
3. Therapy
A trained mental health therapist can help your loved one process tough emotions, develop new thinking patterns, and learn coping mechanisms.
Those first steps toward finding outpatient mental health services in Baltimore can be the trickiest but with a little help, your loved one can take those first steps on his path to better mental health and brighter days ahead no matter what he is battling.
Paragon Health Services provides a pathway to better Mental Health and Community Integration through our programs for Psychiatric Rehabilitation, Substance Abuse, and our Outpatient Mental Health Clinic. We also offer services for the treatment of Depression, Anxiety, Schizophrenia, and Bipolar Disorder, as well as Individual Rehabilitation Programs.
We serve adults, children, and adolescents with mental health disorders in all of Maryland but focus primarily in the Baltimore Metro area. Call today to learn more: (410) 759-4777
We are truly invested in getting people to a better place in every way possible. Our outcome-driven programming and support is geared to address living, working, and social functioning so that individuals may tap into their strengths, rehabilitate, and experience a bright future.
In addition to providing wraparound support for clients, we are also passionate about supporting Social Workers, Placement Coordinators, Hospital Staff, and Families. We know that when we come together as a team, the entire community gets better.
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