When you have an illness or an injury, you seek medical help so you can heal and regain your health. Make no mistake, depression is no different and can benefit from early intervention to prevent larger problems from developing down the road.
Letting depression run rampant carries a good deal of risk, and the team of mental health experts here at Vital TMS therapy wants to outline a few of the more common results of untreated depression.
Suicide
The most serious risk of not treating depression is the potential for suicide. The CDC reports that, in 2020, more than 12 million people in the United States thought about suicide, and 1.2 million people attempted suicide. Unfortunately, nearly 46,000 people died by suicide.
While suicide isn’t always influenced by depression, research reveals that mental health disorders are evident in up to 90% of suicides around the world, and depression tops the list.
Seeking prompt treatment for your depression, especially if you’re having any thoughts of suicide, can be a life-saving decision.
Substance use disorders
Many people with untreated mental health disorders, such as depression and anxiety, turn to drugs or alcohol to self-medicate. In fact, one in four people with a serious mental health disorder also has a substance use disorder.
If you’re using drugs or alcohol to address your symptoms of depression, you run the risk of adding another serious diagnosis (a substance use disorder), creating a health problem that’s, effectively, twice as large.
A decline in your physical health
While depression is associated with mood regulation difficulties, the mental health disorder can also affect your physical health. Problems with sleep, aches and pains, and system-wide inflammation are just a few of the physical side effects of depression.
By not treating depression, these side effects can take a toll on your health and wear your body down.
Your professional and personal lives can suffer
If you leave your depression untreated, your professional and personal life can suffer greatly. People with depression often withdraw because they find they can’t function well in social and professional situations. This withdrawal can lead to loss of work, loss of friends and partners, and even the loss of family relationships.
By seeking treatment for your depression, you can maintain these all-important connections, which will help you thrive as you move forward.
Treating your depression
At Vital TMS Therapy, we’ve had considerable success helping patients to break free from the prison that depression can form with transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) therapy. Through non-invasive TMS therapy, we can help your brain form healthier neural pathways that better regulate your moods.
To learn more about how TMS therapy can help with your depression, please contact one of our locations in Washington, DC, or Chevy Chase, Maryland, to schedule a consultation.
