Sep 13, 2024
Over 1 in 5 people (21.7%) in Pennsylvania have been told by a medical professional they suffer from depression. This can include many different types of depression: Major Depressive Disorder, Dysthymia, seasonal depression, or crippling depression. Despite this high ranking, Pennsylvania is actually average for its depression rates: it ranks 25th, although it is a far cry from New Jersey’s 14.6%.
In general, the United States has seen an influx in mental health diagnoses, especially depression. Pennsylvania has responded in big ways. One such way is by opening its first urgent care facility for mental health needs in Philadelphia. In this article, we’ll explore what services this facility has, where you can find comprehensive mental health care in Pennsylvania, and how to treat crippling depression.
Mental Health Urgent Care Facility
What exactly is a mental health urgent care facility? You’ve heard of ERs and urgent care facilities for medical doctors, is this the same thing?
Sort of. The center in Philadelphia, which is set to open its doors on September 3rd, will provide walk-in assistants for people who need mental health care and can’t wait to see a medical doctor or therapist.
They will be able to provide:
- Psychiatric evaluations
- Quick counseling sessions
- Prescription refills
- Referrals
This Philadelphia mental health clinic will be a good place to go if you are suffering from crippling depression and need antidepressants or to be referred to a therapist. It’s also a good place to go if you feel you might be struggling with a major mental illness like Bipolar Disorder or Schizophrenia but don’t know what to do.
This center is not equipped to handle long-term, sustained counseling. For example, if you have a diagnosed depression disorder that is crippling, you’ll need a team of psychiatrists, doctors, and therapists who can work together on your treatment plan. This center will be a great place to start getting these referrals and the help you need, but they are not equipped to handle the weekly therapy sessions required to treat this sort of illness.
What if you want more sustained or comprehensive care? Look for quality, affordable therapy in Pennsylvania, like Lifebulb Counseling.
What is crippling depression?
Depression levels have been rising at an alarming rate across the U.S. From 2023 to 2024 there was a slight improvement, as more comprehensive mental health care laws and programs were put into place.
Many people are familiar with what depression feels like, but what about crippling depression?
Crippling depression, or severe depression as it is known clinically, is used to describe the severity of a depression diagnosis. Depression, like all mental illnesses, exists on a spectrum: from mild to severe.
Mild depression may look like a depressed mood, hopelessness, exhaustion, and difficulty sleeping or eating. Crippling depression, on the other hand, can have a much greater effect on your work, social, and home life.
Symptoms of typical depression include:
- Persistent feelings of sadness or emptiness
- Loss of interest in activities once enjoyed
- Changes in appetite and weight
- Sleep disturbances, such as insomnia or oversleeping
- Fatigue or loss of energy
- Feelings of worthlessness or excessive guilt
- Difficulty concentrating or making decisions
- Thoughts of death or suicide
In crippling depression, these symptoms can escalate until they feel impossible to escape. Symptoms of crippling depression include:
- Increased risk of suicide
- Loss of job due to inability to complete work or get to work
- Broken relationships
- Increased weight gain or loss
- Unhealthy living situations caused by mold, uncleanness, or foot rot
- Major health issues like heart conditions, obesity, or sickness
- Extreme isolation, going days without seeing or talking to someone
- Increased risk for substance abuse
Crippling depression can exist on its own, but it's also frequently found with substance use disorders, anxiety disorders, and trauma.
How to treat crippling depression in Pennsylvania?
It can be overwhelming to know where to start getting treatment, especially if you have crippling depression that makes it difficult to even get out of bed in the morning. That’s what the urgent care clinic in Philadelphia aims to do: connect you with the resources you need quickly, so you can start feeling better sooner.
Crippling depression will likely need a dual approach to treatment including both medication management and therapy options.
Medication
The urgent care mental health facility in Philadelphia can help you refill prescriptions and give you referrals to psychiatrists. This is important because psychiatrists can diagnose and prescribe medication. Antidepressants are very powerful in helping people overcome crippling depression. Although not an instant cure, antidepressants give you enough room to start developing a healthy coping mechanism and getting to the core root of your depression.
Common medications prescribed for severe depression include:
- Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs): These include medications like fluoxetine (Prozac), sertraline (Zoloft), and paroxetine (Paxil). They work by increasing the levels of serotonin in the brain, which can improve mood and overall well-being.
- Serotonin and Norepinephrine Reuptake Inhibitors (SNRIs): Examples of SNRIs are venlafaxine (Effexor) and duloxetine (Cymbalta). These medications work on both serotonin and norepinephrine levels in the brain, which can help alleviate symptoms of depression.
- Tricyclic Antidepressants (TCAs): While not as commonly prescribed today due to newer medication options, TCAs like amitriptyline and nortriptyline can still be effective for some individuals with severe depression.
- Atypical Antidepressants: This category includes medications like bupropion (Wellbutrin) and mirtazapine (Remeron), which work differently from the other types of antidepressants mentioned.
It's important to note that finding the right medication and dosage often involves some trial and error, as each person's response to medication can be different. It's also crucial to work closely with a psychiatrist or healthcare provider to monitor the effects of the medication and make any necessary adjustments.
Do not take antidepressants unless under the direction and supervision of a medical or physical health practitioner.
Although medication is powerful, it is most helpful in treating crippling depression when used in conjunction with therapy options.
Therapy options
The mental health clinic in Philadelphia offers quick counseling sessions that are good for acute needs: a stressful day at work, an especially bad mental health day, a recent traumatic event, or a bad ending relationship. However, these quick counseling sessions cannot address the root cause of mental illness and are meant to be more of a bandaid than stitches. They are still highly valuable, and we encourage you to use them while understanding their limitations.
Therapy for crippling depression can vary. Some people with crippling depression also have treatment-resistant depression, which is a type of depression coined by mental health professionals for depression that does not respond to typical medication and talk therapy.
Fortunately, a lot of new research has been done into treatment-resistant and crippling depression therapy and there are more options than ever before. Some therapy options for crippling depression include
- Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS): While not a traditional talk therapy, TMS is a non-invasive procedure that uses magnetic fields to stimulate nerve cells in the brain. It has been approved for treatment-resistant depression when other treatments have been ineffective.
- Ketamine Therapy: Ketamine has shown promising results in rapidly reducing symptoms of severe depression, including treatment-resistant depression. It's typically administered in a clinical setting under medical supervision.
- ECT (Electroconvulsive Therapy): ECT is a procedure where electrical currents are passed through the brain to intentionally trigger a brief seizure (but is entirely safe). It is often used for severe depression that hasn't responded to other treatments. ECT can help alleviate symptoms of depression by altering brain chemistry and is considered safe and effective for certain individuals.
- EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing): EMDR is a therapy approach that involves recalling distressing experiences while focusing on external stimuli like eye movements or hand taps to process and reframe traumatic memories. EMDR aims to reduce the emotional distress associated with traumatic memories and has shown effectiveness in treating conditions like depression, PTSD, and anxiety.
- Talk Therapy: Also known as psychotherapy, talk therapy involves confidential conversations between a therapist and an individual to explore feelings, behaviors, and thoughts related to depression. Talk therapy can help individuals identify and address underlying issues contributing to depression, develop coping skills, and improve overall mental well-being. It offers a supportive space for processing emotions and finding solutions for challenges.
Online therapy has become an increasingly popular way to receive quality, effective, affordable therapy because it is often cheaper and more convenient for people with depression. If you suffer from crippling depression, reach out for help. Whether it’s through your local mental health care clinic, a therapist, or a psychiatrist, you deserve to feel good again.
Interested in online therapy in Pennsylvania? Lifebulb Counseling and Therapy has many Pennsylvania-based online therapists who are licensed, affordable, and ready to help you with your crippling depression.
