Locked In

Background

Major depressive disorder is a mental illness. It also may be called clinical depression or unipolar depression. Major depressive disorder usually causes feelings of sadness, hopelessness, or helplessness. Some people with this disorder do not feel particularly sad, but lose interest in doing things they used to enjoy (anhedonia). Major depressive disorder also can cause physical symptoms. It can interfere with work, school, relationships, and other normal, ever day activities. This disorder varies in severity but is longer lasting and more serious than the sadness we all feel from time to time in our lives.

Major depressive disorder often is triggered by stressful life events or major life changes. Examples of these triggers include divorce, loss of your job or home, a move, and the death of a family member or close friend. Sometime this disorder occurs for no obvious reason at all. People who have family members with major depressive disorder or bipolar disorder are at a higher risk for developing this disorder, with or without life stressors. Major depressive disorder can occur at any age. It may occur just once in your life. It may occur multiple times.

People with major depressive disorder have either anhedonia or depressed mood on nearly a daily basis for at least 2 weeks or longer.

Symptoms:

- Feelings of sadness or emptiness

- Feelings of hoplessness or helplessness

- Tearfulness or episodes of crying

- Irritability (especially in children and adolescents)

- Difficulty sleeping or sleeping too much

- Significant change in appetite or weight

- Lack of energy or motivation

- Feelings of guilt or worthlessness

- Difficulty concentrating, remembering, or making decisions

- Unusually slow movement or restlessness

- Recurrent wishes for death, recurrent thoughts of self-harm, or a suicide attempt

People with major depressive disorder commonly have persistent negative thoughts about themselves, other people, and the world.

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Social Anxiety Disorder, also called social phobia, involves overwhelming worry and self-consciousness about every day social situations. The worry often centers on a fear of being judged by others, or behaving in a way that might cause embarrassment or lead to ridicule.

General Symptoms:

- Feelings of panic, fear, and uneasiness

- Problems sleeping

- Cold or sweaty hands or feet

- Shortness of breath

- Heart palpitations

- Not being able to be still and calm

- Dry mouth

- Numbness or tingling in the hands or feet

- Nausea

- Muscle tension

- Dizziness

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Inpatient Care:

For children or adolescents who have behavioral or psychological disorders that require a high degree of care and supervision due to severity, an Inpatient care program resolves the admitting crisis and admitting presenting problems and symptoms as soon as possible and returns the youth to the highest level of functioning in the community.

The treatment approaches and programming are developed with a youth-centered, family-focused, and culturally responsive orientation. It is the interdisciplinary team's intent to help patients and their families learn age-appropriate coping skills.

Discharge and aftercare recommendations are made collaborating with the patient, parent or guardian, interdisciplinary team and referral source to assure continuity of treatment.

An interdisciplinary team provides medical, biological, social, spiritual, behavioral and emotional support as well as referral to rehabilitative services. The team would include: attending psychiatrist, nurse, therapist, care manager, behavioral service tech, therapeutic recreation, pharmacist liaison, and chaplain.