Depression Specialist
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Venice Sanchez, MD
Psychiatrist & Addiction Psychiatrist located in Newport Beach, CA
Depression involves overwhelming negative emotions that reduce your quality of life. Also called major depressive disorder, it affects more than 16 million adults each year in the United States. Ongoing feelings of sorrow, hopelessness, or despair can keep you from managing daily tasks and enjoying your work and personal relationships. To end your struggles with depression, visit Venice Sanchez, MD, at her practice in Newport Beach, California. Dr. Sanchez has extensive experience providing holistic care for depression. To make an appointment, call Dr. Sanchez or schedule online today.
Depression Q&A
What is depression?
Sometimes, difficult life events leave you feeling sad, useless, or pessimistic. However, this normal emotional response to challenging circumstances typically subsides when the situation has been resolved.
When you have major depressive disorder, usually referred to as depression, you feel unhappy, worthless, or hopeless almost all of the time. Episodes of depression may last months or even years. Depression also affects physical health over time.
A serious mental health condition, depression affects all aspects of your life. It can cause problems at work or school, interfere with your ability to complete daily tasks, and harm your personal relationships.
What causes depression?
No single cause leads to depression, but certain factors increase your risk of developing major depressive disorder, such as having a history of depression in your family.
Other factors that increase the risk of depression include:
- Trauma
- Physical or sexual abuse
- Environmental stress
- Economic difficulty
- Chronic illness
- Chronic pain
- Substance abuse
In addition, experts believe that brain chemistry, hormones, and nutritional deficiencies may contribute to depression.
What are the symptoms of depression?
The primary symptoms of depression include persistent, extreme negative emotions and thoughts. These symptoms affect your ability to meet work or family obligations, socialize, and prevent you from taking pleasure in life.
As a result, you may lose interest in spending time with friends, intimacy, recreational activities, hobbies, and other activities you used to enjoy.
Other common symptoms of depression include:
- Angry outbursts
- Frustration
- Irritability
- Decreased energy
- Sleep disturbances
- Headaches
- Poor concentration
- Memory issues
- Suicidal thinking
Over time, depression increases your risk of physical illness such as heart failure and coronary artery disease. Addiction and anxiety frequently occur along with depression.
How can treatment help with depression?
Dr. Sanchez takes a holistic approach when addressing depression. She considers many factors, such as your family system, financial situation, and medical history.
She then designs a customized treatment plan to meet your individual needs. For example, your plan may include talk therapy, medication, nutritional or lifestyle changes, and exercises for spiritual development.
If you’ve tried medication for depression in the past without success, Dr. Sanchez may recommend transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). This noninvasive treatment, which stimulates your brain to help regulate your mood, has received FDA clearance for treating major depressive disorder.
Dr. Sanchez uses BrainsWay® Deep TMS, which gently stimulates your brain’s neurons using an electromagnetic field.
Call Venice Sanchez, MD, for expert help with depression, or make an appointment online today.
