Kern Legacy Health Plan | A Legacy of Good Health | Fall 2015

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D E P R E S S I O N
A guide to feeling better Get help now
Kern Legacy offers counseling and other
outpatient mental health services with-
out a referral from your doctor.
If you are feeling depressed or
need help with substance abuse, call
any of our network providers. To see
a list of our network providers, visit
or contact a
Member Services Representative today
at 661-868-3280 or 1-855-308-5547,
options 1 and 5.
w w Fatigue or decreased energy.
w w Difficulty concentrating, remembering
details or making decisions.
w w Changed appetite with weight loss or
weight gain.
w w Chronic pain, digestive problems or
other physical symptoms that don’t re-
spond to treatment.
w w Thoughts of suicide or death.
A better tomorrow
If you’re depressed, it may be hard to
imagine feeling normal.
But again—most people with depres-
sion can recover as long as a doctor or
therapist is aware of their illness.
Treatment works
The encouraging news about depres-
sion is that it’s highly treatable, even
when it’s severe. Typically that treat-
ment is either talk therapy (which can
help someone who is depressed replace
negative thoughts with more posi-
tive ones) or talk therapy coupled with
antidepressants.
In either case, the sooner treatment
starts, the more likely it is to
be effective.
According to Mental
Health America, anyone
who has five or more of
these signs and symptoms
for at least two weeks may
have depression and needs
to be seen by a doctor or mental health
professional:
w wA persistent sad, anxious or empty
mood.
w wFeelings of guilt, worthlessness or
hopelessness.
w wIrritability or restlessness.
w wThe tendency to sleep too much or too
little.
w wLoss of interest in
activities once enjoyed.
NO ONE is a stranger to sadness. We
all experience it—after a loss, a setback or
some other difficulty. This emotion is as
normal as it is unavoidable. And usually,
it’s short-lived.
But there is another kind of sadness—
one that lingers and can become so over-
whelming it becomes difficult to think
clearly or even function normally.
This potentially disabling mood is
what doctors call de-
pression. Should you—
or someone you care
about—ever struggle
with depression, here
are two essential facts
to keep in mind:
w w Depression is a com-
mon medical illness. It is not the result
of a character flaw—any more than, say,
heart disease is. Scientists suspect that
certain brain chemicals, such as sero-
tonin, are out of balance in people with
depression.
w w Willpower alone isn’t enough to make
depression go away. Most people with
depression need treatment to get better,
the National Institute of Mental Health
reports.
If you think someone may be suicidal, don’t leave him or
her alone. Get the person to seek immediate help from a
doctor or the nearest emergency department. You can
also call 911.
Signs of suicide include:
w w Talking about suicide or death.
w w Withdrawing from friends and activities.
w w Giving away prized possessions.
w w Writing notes or poems about death.
w w Changing eating or sleeping habits.
Sources: American College of Emergency Physicians; Mental Health America
Watch for signs of suicide
Willpower alone won’t
make depression go
away. Most people
with depression need
treatment to get better.
661-868-3280