More Than Just a Bad Day: Recognizing Depression and What Can Help

How To Deal With Depression: Understanding What You’re Feeling And Where To Start

Depression is more than just feeling sad or having a bad day. It is a real medical condition that can affect how you think, feel, and function in daily life. If you are searching for how to deal with depression, it often means something does not feel right, and you are looking for answers. That is a meaningful first step. You are not alone, and there are ways to feel better.

Depression Affects More People Than You May Think

Depression is common, but it does not always look the way people expect. Some individuals feel deep sadness, while others notice low energy, poor sleep, lack of motivation, or constant fatigue. Many people continue to go to work or care for their families while silently struggling.

Here are a few important facts:

7% to 12% of Men experience depression at some point in life
20% to 25 % of Women experience depression
Rates are higher for those with a family history of depression, anxiety, or substance use

Because symptoms can be subtle, many people do not realize they are dealing with depression until it becomes more severe.

Why Depression Is Often Missed

Many people visit their primary care doctor for physical concerns like fatigue, poor sleep, or low energy. These symptoms are real, but they can also be signs of depression.

It is common for depression to go undiagnosed in the early stages. Over time, it can begin to affect more areas of life, including:

Work Performance and Focus
Relationships With Family and Friends
Personal Care and Daily Routines
Overall Physical Health

If you have been feeling “off” for a while, it may be worth looking more deeply into what is going on.

The Impact At Home And In Everyday Life

Depression does not just affect your mood. It can influence how you show up in your own life. Simple tasks can feel overwhelming. Social interactions may feel draining. Relationships can become strained, even with people you care about deeply.

Families often feel the effects too. While it can be hard to measure the full impact, many people experience a sense of isolation, frustration, or disconnection when depression is present in the home.

Why Treatment Matters

Getting help for depression is not just about feeling better emotionally. Treatment can improve many parts of your life.
People who receive treatment often experience:

Better Energy and Focus
Improved Relationships
Fewer Missed Days at Work or School
Lower Overall Healthcare Needs

Recovery can create a ripple effect, helping you reconnect with your life in a more meaningful way.

Understanding Treatment Options

There is no one-size-fits-all solution for depression. Different approaches work for different people, and sometimes a combination works best.

Medication:
Modern antidepressants are considered safe and effective. However, results can vary:

- 45% To 55% of People See Noticeable Improvement
- 30% To 35% Experience Full Relief of Symptoms

This means that while medication can help many people, it does not work perfectly for everyone.

Therapy:
Talk therapy can be very helpful, especially for understanding patterns, processing emotions, and building coping skills. For some people, therapy alone is enough. For others, it works better when combined with medication.

Combined approach:
Using both medication and therapy together often leads to better outcomes than using either one alone.

A Closer Look At How The Brain Is Involved

You may have heard that depression is linked to brain chemistry. Another important concept is how the brain can repair and adapt over time.

There is growing research around how certain treatments may help the brain form new connections, particularly in areas related to mood. This process may help improve symptoms, especially for people who have not responded well to traditional treatments.

Some newer medications are designed with this idea in mind, and ongoing research continues to explore additional options.

If Past Treatments Have Not Worked

It can be discouraging if you have tried medication or therapy and did not get the results you hoped for. That does not mean you are out of options.

Every person’s experience with depression is different. Sometimes it takes time to find the right combination of treatments. Newer approaches and personalized care plans are helping more people find relief, even after previous challenges.

How To Deal With Depression: Taking The Next Step Toward Feeling Better

Learning how to deal with depression is not about finding a quick fix. It is about understanding what you are experiencing and finding the right support for you. With the right approach, many people begin to feel more like themselves again.

Are you struggling with depression? Reaching out for help can be the most important step. Effective treatments are available, and you do not have to go through this alone.

If you are experiencing symptoms of depression, have questions about your treatment, or want to learn about other options such as ketamine, then call Dr. Sambunaris & Associates at 770-817-9200.

Contact Us Now For A Consultation.

Is Insomnia a Symptom of Anxiety?

For many people, bedtime is meant to be a moment of relief. A chance to finally slow down after a long day. But when you are living with anxiety, the opposite can happen. The lights go out, everything gets quiet, and suddenly your mind feels louder than ever. Thoughts start racing. Your body feels tight and restless. You want to sleep, you need to sleep, but it just will not come. So, the question you may be asking at 2 am – “Is insomnia a symptom of anxiety?” (more…)

Halloween

The fall brings many of our favorite things: piles of brightly colored leaves, apple cider with donuts, and cooler temperatures that allow us to turn off our air conditioners finally! But for many, the spooky season of Halloween time only highlights the nightmares that interfere with sleep and quality of life. Today we examine the relationship between anxiety and the nighttime disturbances of nightmares and night sweats.

Nightmares and anxiety

If you have frequent nightmares, you have parasomnia — a type of sleep disorder that includes unwanted disturbances while you’re falling asleep, during sleep or when you’re waking up. Nightmares and bad dreams are overlapping and common forms of parasomnia. Nightmares can be thought of as “vivid, disturbing, or frightening dreams that cause a startled awakening (Levin & Nielsen, 2007)”, and bad dreams are “very disturbing dreams which, though being unpleasant, do not cause the dreamer to awaken” (Robert & Zadra, 2008).

An anxiety dream falls under this umbrella as well; it is any dream that causes stress or distress. You might feel panicked or nervous during the dream, but often these feelings continue even when you wake up or worse, linger on during your day.

Although nightmares often inspire feelings of terror more intense than general anxiety, these also count as anxiety dreams, since anxiety during the day can make nightmares more likely. Nightmares can be triggered by many factors outside of anxiety including trauma (such as an accident or other events), irregular sleep cycles/schedule, some medications, substance abuse and/or withdrawal, and other medical conditions such as depression, heart disease or cancer.

However, the primary cause of nightmares is stress or anxiety. Sometimes, the ordinary stresses of daily life, such as a conflict at work or school can trigger a nightmare. A major life change, such as a move or the death of a loved one, can have the same effect. Experiencing anxiety is associated with a greater risk of nightmares.

How does anxiety trigger nightmares?

As you might already know, your brain remains active while you sleep. The brain uses this time to carry out critical functions required to refresh your body and optimize your brain function during your waking hours. Part of this process that happens when you sleep includes encoding experiences and sensations into memory and organizing all that data, much like a filing system.

It follows, then, that if your recent thoughts and feelings cause stress and fear, your dreams will likely follow a similar pattern. Not everyone living with anxiety will have bad dreams, but research does suggest anxiety can play a significant part in nighttime distress.

In a 2014 study, those who met criteria for generalized anxiety disorder had more bad dreams than participants who didn’t have anxiety. Bad dream frequency was significantly associated with depression, anxiety, worry, and poor quality of life. The study also showed that bad dreams led to greater daytime feelings of anxiety and depression and lower quality of life. In short, anxiety, and nightmares can feed into each other, creating an unpleasant cycle.

Night sweats and anxiety

Night sweats are something you probably recognize if you are experiencing them, but clinically it is defined as being flushed, very hot, and sweating for no apparent reason. This can happen when trying to rest, go to sleep, or when waking up, even though the room temperature is normal or cool. There may be a medical reason for your night sweats your body fighting off a virus or bacteria. What’s more, night sweats can be caused by perimenopause, menopause, the aftereffects of menopause, or by other hormonal problems. Night sweats can come and go infrequently, occur on a regular basis, or go on every night for what seems to be indefinitely.

Anxiety night sweats may precede, accompany, or follow an escalation of other anxiety sensations and symptoms (things like nervousness, anxiety, fear, and elevated stress) or occur with no obvious trigger. It can also come in waves, where it’s strong one moment and eases off the next.

Why does anxiety cause night sweats?

In short, an over-active mind causes the physical symptoms associated with night sweats. Your stress response in your head causes a physical response in your body including changing your body’s metabolism, respiration, and perspiration. This response is why the heart beats harder and faster, breathing becomes shorter and shallower, and we sweat.

Experiencing night sweats is a common consequence of a stressed or anxious mind, and an indication of how the body can mismanage itself based on our mental state. When the nervous system is healthy, it manages these systems and functions normally and invisibly for the most part. But when the nervous system becomes hyper-stimulated on a regular basis, the body is more apt to move from “thinking to feeling” in a shorter time span – a type of muscle memory if you will. Nightmares and the stress responses they trigger can also be a cause, or part of the circle of night sweats.

What to do if you are experiencing nightmares or night sweats on a regular basis

It’s always wise to seek support if your symptoms begin affecting your work, relationships, or overall quality of life. The best way to combat the negative effects of anxiety is to prevent them in the first place! Dr. Sambunaris suggests changing your sleep habits first:

Create an atmosphere that is conducive to great sleep. Build in time to wind down that includes taking a warm shower, banning screen time and devices, and/or reading a book. Keep the lights low, the temperature cool, and sounds to a minimum.
Once you’re in bed, let your mind wander to positive thoughts like going to your own “happy place,” positive things about your day, or expressing gratitude for the people in your life.
Make time for exercise during the day – studies have shown that even just 30 minutes of moderate aerobic activity during your day may help you sleep better.
Avoid caffeine and other stimulants during the day (or at least after lunch) to give your brain the best chance of relaxing at night.

If you have tried all of these suggestions, and you still find that your sleep disturbances are affecting your quality of life, it’s time to talk to a physician like Dr. Sambunaris who specializes in anxiety disorders. Recurrent or long-lasting stress and anxiety could be a sign of a more serious mental health issue that will not go away on its own. Make an appointment to get a clear diagnosis of what is keeping you up at night by calling 770-817-9200.

Sources: https://mayocl.in/3SUZcvI https://bit.ly/3ejLLGH https://bit.ly/3RStBtc

Author Angelo Sambunaris, M.D.

Alcoholism: Understanding the Disease and Finding a Path to Recovery

Dr. Sambunaris & Associates – Alpharetta, GA

Alcoholism is a serious, chronic disease that affects millions of individuals and families across the United States. It impacts physical health, mental well-being, relationships, and careers—but with professional help and evidence-based treatment, recovery is absolutely possible.

At Dr. Sambunaris & Associates, we specialize in the comprehensive care of patients struggling with alcoholism and co-occurring disorders such as anxiety and depression. Our approach is rooted in science, compassion, and long-term results.

What Is Alcoholism?

Alcoholism, also known as Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD), is a medical condition characterized by an inability to control or stop drinking despite the negative consequences it causes. It is more than just drinking too much—it’s a disease that changes the brain and behavior over time.

People with alcoholism often experience:

Cravings for alcohol
Loss of control over how much or how often they drink
Physical dependence or withdrawal symptoms
Tolerance (needing more alcohol to feel the same effect)

It’s important to remember that alcoholism is not a moral failure. It is a diagnosable and treatable medical condition.

Warning Signs of Alcoholism

Alcoholism can present differently depending on the person, but common signs include:

Drinking alone or in secret
Prioritizing alcohol over responsibilities
Memory blackouts or gaps from drinking
Neglecting personal appearance or health
Mood swings, irritability, or anxiety when not drinking
Withdrawal symptoms (sweating, tremors, nausea) when trying to quit

If you or someone you love is experiencing these symptoms, it may be time to seek help.

Our Approach to Alcoholism Treatment

At Dr. Sambunaris & Associates, our treatment programs for alcoholism are designed to address both the physical and psychological aspects of addiction. We combine the latest medical research with compassionate care to develop individualized treatment plans.

Our services may include:

Comprehensive Psychiatric Evaluation
Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT) to reduce cravings and withdrawal symptoms
Behavioral Therapies, including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
Dual Diagnosis Care for patients with co-occurring anxiety, depression, or PTSD
Ongoing Support and Relapse Prevention Planning

Our mission is to empower patients to reclaim control over their lives and move toward lasting recovery.

Q&A: Alcoholism and Treatment Options

Q: How do I know if I or a loved one has a drinking problem?
A: If alcohol use is interfering with daily responsibilities, causing relationship issues, or leading to physical or emotional distress, it’s time to seek a professional evaluation. We can help you determine if it’s alcoholism and what steps to take next.

Q: Is alcoholism a disease or a choice?
A: Alcoholism is classified as a brain disease. While the initial choice to drink may be voluntary, over time alcohol can hijack the brain’s reward and control centers, making it incredibly difficult to stop without help.

Q: What role does mental health play in alcoholism?
A: A significant number of people with alcoholism also struggle with mental health conditions like anxiety, depression, or trauma. Treating both the addiction and underlying mental health conditions simultaneously is crucial for successful recovery.

Q: Can medications help me stop drinking?
A: Yes. FDA-approved medications such as naltrexone, acamprosate, or disulfiram can help reduce cravings and prevent relapse when used in combination with therapy.

Q: Is treatment confidential?
A: Absolutely. At Dr. Sambunaris & Associates, your privacy is a top priority. All consultations and treatment plans are strictly confidential.

Q: Do you offer support for families of alcoholics?
A: Yes. We understand that addiction affects the entire family. We offer family education and therapy options to support healing for everyone involved.

Start Your Journey to Recovery

If you or a loved one is struggling with alcohol use, you are not alone—and help is available. At Dr. Sambunaris & Associates, we’re committed to helping individuals understand their condition, regain control, and build a life free from addiction.

📞 Contact Dr. Sambunaris & Associates today for a confidential consultation.
Phone: (770) 817-9200
Address: 5755 North Point Parkway, Suite 256, Alpharetta, GA 30022
🌐 Website: https://https://drsambunaris.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/mental-health-4-1-1024×683-1.jpg.com

Recovery is not only possible—it starts with a single step. Let us help you take it.

Meridian, ID