What is depression?
By Gregory Charlop, MD and Derrick Furlow Jr
Your alarm rings, but you don’t get out of bed. Why bother? The day seems pointless. Maybe it’s best to just call in sick. Besides, you no longer have purpose and would rather not be seen you anyway. So, you pull the covers back over your head.
Hours pass by. You finally get up around noon and force yourself to eat. You used to love food, but now you just go through the motions. It just doesn’t taste good anymore, but you can’t stop eating. For some reason you can’t stay away from food and you eat more then what you ate during your playing days.
Your friends are going out to play golf this evening. They invited you, but you don’t feel like going. Better to just sit on the couch and watch TV. Maybe have a drink or two or three…only to realize you are drinking more and more every day to escape this life that feels purposeless now that you are no longer playing sports.
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If you sound like this, you may have depression. Although you can’t get an x-ray or blood test for depression, it’s a real medical illness that impacts a lot of people. It’s especially common in retired football players, and concussions make it worse. One study found that nearly every football player who had at least three concussions also had depression.
We all feel sad from time to time. If we lose a job, end a relationship, or get sick, most of us will feel terrible. But, that’s short-lived and easily explained by the breakup or job loss. Clinical (medical) depression is different. Folks with depression feel down most of the time, and there is no clear cause or explanation.
Here are some other common symptoms of depression. Note, not everyone with depression has all of these symptoms:
Feeling guilty too often
Hopelessness
Problems sleeping. Sleeping too much or too little
Eating problems. Eating too much or losing interest in food
Thoughts of suicide
Difficulty concentrating, brain fog, and memory loss
Random aches and pains for no reason, particularly stomach pain
Irritability. Snapping at people for no reason
If you’ve been feeling sad most of the time for at least a few weeks and have some of the other problems on this list, you might have clinical depression. Your risk is even higher if you’ve had concussions.
Can successful people have depression? Absolutely! Tons of famous people, including Michael Phelps, Serena Williams, and Terry Bradshaw battled depression. Just because you have a good job or a beautiful family doesn’t mean that you don’t have depression. It can hit anyone.
If you think you might have depression, don’t ignore it. Go seek help. Ask your doctor or mental health professional. We have some great ways to treat depression. Start feeling better today!
Gregory Charlop, MD is the author of Why Doctors Skip Breakfast: Wellness Tips to Reverse Aging, Treat Depression, and Get a Good Night’s Sleep. He runs a telemedicine wellness clinic for athletes and retired athletes based in Beverly Hills, CA. Reach him at www.GregoryCharlopMD.com
Derrick Furlow Jr is the author of “What’s Next? How To Transition Like A Champion” for more helping transitioning into life after sports visit http://www.DerrickFurlow.com
