When Are “the Blues” Actually Depression?

Life is difficult, and sometimes it seems overwhelmingly hard. You might feel down and distracted when things aren’t going well. This emotional response is often called “the blues,” and it's perfectly normal to feel like you do.

However, our team at Klarity Clinic remind you to remain self-aware of how you feel. If your blues are lingering much longer than you expected, you might actually have clinical depression.

Differences between the blues and depression

The blue feelings you have generally relate to sadness or grief, and again, they’re a normal emotional reaction to difficult circumstances or certain events. Although you may say you feel depressed when you’re down, feeling blue is different than having depression.

Depression is a mental health disorder that will make you feel sadness and grief, but it also causes serious symptoms that can interfere with your quality of life.

If you feel persistently sad or hopeless for two weeks or longer, then you might have depression. Other signs of depression you might experience include:

• Chronic fatigue
• Ongoing irritability
• Difficulty concentrating
• Loss of interest in activities
• Changes in appetite
• Changes in sleep patterns (sleeping too much or not able to sleep)

If you start having thoughts of self-harm or harming others, or if you’re thinking about suicide, it’s imperative that you get medical help right away.

Antidepressant medications combined with psychotherapy (talk therapy) is the traditional strategy for managing depression symptoms. However, if these methods don’t prove successful for you, you can find help at Klarity Clinic.

Our team offers comprehensive care for treatment-resistant depression using ketamine infusion therapy.

How ketamine infusion therapy addresses depression

Ketamine is a prescription drug that’s long been used as a surgical anesthetic. In much lower doses, infusions of ketamine can increase glutamate levels in your brain to manage your depression.

Glutamate is the largest neurotransmitter in your brain and is important for proper brain function. By increasing its levels with ketamine, you can find rapid and long-lasting relief of your depression symptoms.

Ketamine can also trigger the growth of new neural connections and help repair those that are damaged, so your brain can heal more efficiently.

What to expect during ketamine infusion therapy

During ketamine infusion therapy, our providers deliver the medications into your bloodstream through an intravenous (IV) line. They carefully monitor your health during treatment and control the dosage of ketamine you receive.

To achieve maximum benefit of ketamine infusion therapy for depression, you can expect to receive a series (typically six) of IV infusions over the course of two weeks.

Combining your ketamine infusions with nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) is an option our Klarity Clinic physicians can use to enhance the effects of ketamine. NAD+ can also restore your energy levels and regulate your body’s response to stress, so you can enjoy a higher quality of life moving forward.

If you think you have more than just the blues and need a diagnostic evaluation for depression, book an appointment online, or call the Klarity Clinic office nearest you today.