Dr. Jerry Williams of Urgent Care 24/7 discusses depression.

This is a really important topic, and so important that we start the conversation. The stigma surrounding mental health, society today, and medicine is just really bothering me personally. Dr. Williams sees patients who put off coming in for care and accessing care, because they're worried about what people are going to think about them, and it's heartbreaking.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, mental health issues have risen to the top for a lot of folks. We've seen a lot of depression, both in our clinics nationally, but Dr. Williams has also seen it. My co-workers, you know, it's been a very stressful and difficult time for people in healthcare. It's been a very dangerous time, and there's been a lot of a lot of bad news, all the sad things, a lot of people losing their jobs, financial challenges, and the isolation of being in quarantine.

Just the disruption of normal daily lives has really tipped people over into into depression, it's a damage that we will only start to understand much later after the pandemic. Dr. Williams doesn't know that we'll ever fully understand the mental health crisis that the COVID-19 pandemic has caused.

We wanted to talk to you today about depression, because if you're feeling depressed, or you have a loved one, family member or friend  who's feeling depression, or feeling depressed, and is exemplified, is suffering from depression, or symptoms of depression, Dr. Williams wants to encourage you to go get seen and get evaluated. It's so important that you get a good medical evaluation by your primary care provider by a primary care provider.

If you're feeling these symptoms, because there are medical causes for depression, that are actually very treatable, that are non psychiatric related, for example, hypothyroidism, can present with symptoms of depression. We can rule out hypothyroidism with a very simple blood test. We encourage you, if you're feeling symptoms of depression, to please get checked for medical causes of depression right away. But also, by accessing your primary care provider, or a principal care provider, you can then access mental health resources as well.

There are many good things that have come out of the COVID-19 pandemic, but one that has as the wider acceptance of telemedicine has become a thing and a good thing. When it comes to mental health care, so many people are afraid of the possibility of being judged or embarrassed to seek care by going to a bricks and mortar counseling or mental health facility or psychiatric psychiatrists or psychologists office. They're reluctant to seek care but now we have access to fantastic Telehealth or Telemedicine tools for mental health, ongoing counseling and follow up. There are some amazing resources available now. If you or a loved one or friend are experiencing symptoms of depression, please get evaluated soon. Get the help you need in the year 2021.

There's no reason to live with depression untreated, there are some fantastic treatments. Of course, if you have a medical cause for your symptoms of depression, certainly want to get those treated right away as well. If you're suffering from depression, whether it's an acute situation depression, where your circumstances have caused you to be depressed, or whether it's just a primary depression, that's actually an actual psychiatric illness. That is not caused by circumstances, then there's there's no reason not to get treated in this day and age because again, they're very safe and effective options.

The bottom line is, get help, get seen, don't perpetuate the fear of stigmatization of mental health. It's an illness just like diabetes or hypertension. You need or your loved one or friend does to get the best care possible and get treated for it. Dr. Williams encourages you to do that and if you're feeling depressed, you're not alone. There are people out here who are very willing and able to help you through this process and to get the care you need.

‍

‍