"Does anyone else ever have days and/or weeks where you feel like you’re having a mental or emotional breakdown?

I can't handle work, I can't handle people, and it's affecting my family life too. And I know that they're avoiding me which makes me so sad (but not that I can blame them I guess). What should I do?"

Hello Elizabeth,

First of all, I am sorry you are feeling so down. Life is hard and stressful but sometimes things can get out of hand to the point that people get overwhelmed. And, over time, this can lead to depression.

Most people who develop depression do so under stressful times while others may have depression from a very early age. Depression is a serious medical condition and needs to be addressed and treated. At other times, symptoms like you describe are because of an external event or due to circumstances out of your control.

The first thing that you need to do is to see your family doctor or gynecologist if you already have a relationship. If that’s not possible, then a psychologist or psychiatrist may be the next step.

These professionals have the tools to figure out what is going on by utilizing interviews and a series of tests. Sometimes, an underlying hormonal disturbance is to blame such as a thyroid or adrenal disorder and this can be picked up with a blood test.

The good news is that there are effective remedies to stop your unwanted feelings; some are with medications while individual or group therapy may be all that is needed. Sometimes, all we need is someone to listen to us.

Regardless of the cause, if you have depression, it is not your fault. Genetics play a large role in the development of any medical condition.