Depression

Around 17 million adults and 3 million adolescents (ages 12-17) in the United States experience one or more major episodes of clinical depression each year, yet fewer than half receive treatment. At Healing Hope Suboxone, Addiction Recovery & Psychiatry, Tammi Bancroft, FNP-C, provides compassionate, evidence-based treatment for depression to help improve your mood, functioning, and overall quality of life. Tammi offers in-person and virtual care from the practice's main location in Colorado and also provides virtual appointments for patients throughout Arizona. Call the office or request an appointment online today to schedule a visit.

What is depression?

Depression isn’t just going through a period of feeling sad, down, or blue because of disappointment or grief. Depression is a mental health condition in which you feel listless, hopeless, and disinterested in the people and activities that used to energize and enliven you. When you’re in a state of depression, the way you think, behave, and feel are all affected. 

What are the symptoms of depression?

When you suffer from depression, you feel “down” or tired throughout most of the day for long periods of time that can last from weeks to years. An episode of depression may cause you to feel:

• Profoundly sad
• Empty
• Hopeless
• Fatigued
• Listless
• Anxious or restless
• Irritable
• Angry
• Disinterested in sex
• In despair

Physical manifestations of depression include:

• Chronic pain
• Risky behaviors
• Self-medicating with drugs or alcohol
• Reduced or increased appetite
• Weight gain or loss

When you’re depressed, you may also find it difficult to concentrate or remember things. You may feel down on yourself and low in confidence. If you feel suicidal or that you’d like to harm yourself, call 911, go to the nearest emergency room, or call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (1-800-273-8255) as soon as possible.

Who gets depression?

Although depression is usually diagnosed in your 20s or 30s, you can develop it even as a child or as a senior citizen. You may be more likely to develop depression if you have a family member with depression. Depression is also associated with life changes marked by fluctuations in hormones, such as adolescence, after childbirth, or during menopause or andropause.

You’re also more likely to develop depression if you have suffered a traumatic event, such as childhood sexual abuse, rape, or assault. Some medical conditions, especially stressful chronic conditions such as diabetes, put you at risk for depression. Even some medications can trigger depression as a side effect.

How is depression treated?

At Healing Hope Suboxone, Addiction Recovery & Psychiatry, Tammmi works with you to find the right medications to control your depression. She generally prescribes an antidepressant and then closely monitors you via telehealth to be sure you’re responding well.

To get relief from your depression and feel like yourself again, contact Healing Hope Suboxone, Addiction Recovery & Psychiatry by phone or through the online form.