I’ve Been Diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder. Now What Do I Do?
You are sitting and waiting for the professional to speak. Then words come from the professional’s mouth, “ Based on the symptoms you are experiencing and for the time you have been experiencing them, I am going to diagnose you with Major Depression.” In that moment, you experience a multitude of possible thoughts and feelings.Thoughts of “This can’t be real”, or “Thank goodness I finally know what I have been experiencing,” or maybe even “I am a Christian. Christians can’t be depressed. I must be sinning.” Many feelings follow these thoughts; however, each one of these thoughts leads to one question. “I have been diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder. Now what do I do ?”An Overview of Major Depressive DisorderMajor Depressive Disorder, MDD, or Clinical Depression is more than just feeling sad. It is a prolonged group of symptoms lasting more than two weeks that greatly impacts daily life.Simple activities such as getting out of bed, texting a loved one, eating, or keeping up with daily hygiene begin to feel like insurmountable mountains of tasks to complete daily. Many describe MDD as feeling like carrying around a massive weight or a dark cloud that seems to follow them around.Those who have been diagnosed with MDD can experience any or all of the following symptoms.Loss of interest or pleasure The clinical name of the loss of interest or pleasure in life is called anhedonia. Hobbies, being social, going on trips, working toward goals, dreams, and ambition no longer seem appealing or even possible when a person is experiencing anhedonia.Sad and hopeless mood Emotional experiences for those diagnosed with MDD tend to fall on the two extremes of the spectrum. Emotions like sadness, hopelessness, and anger become intense. Or the opposite is also true, where one becomes disconnected and numb to their [...]