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One Doctor's Turning Point with Depression

As many as 1 in 5 adults in the U.S. are dealing with a mental illness including depression. Depression and anxiety can be very difficult to identify. Feelings of sadness and anxiousness can be healthy, normal emotional responses to events in your life. Depression can be both a symptom of another illness or an illness in and of itself, so it can be difficult to draw the line.

Dr. Kyle Bradford Jones experienced the struggle firsthand. He experienced a lot of pressure and anxiety during his time and medical school. He had long hours without sleep, poor eating habits, no exercise and, as a physician, dealt with the decisions of life and death. It was a slow build over many years that led to his clinical depression.

He eventually reached his turning point after experiencing a serious panic attack. The "awful, terrifying" experience led him to seek professional help and eventually take medication to help work through his depression.

Medication Can Help Get You Out of the Rough

Often, a positive change in diet, sleep, and exercise can help a person through a run of mild depression. But sometimes, the symptoms of depression can be a major hurdle to improving one's lifestyle. Many patients may benefit from a short-term prescription that can help get those habits back in place.

"It's night and day," says Dr. Jones, explaining how much his life has improved after starting medication to treat his mental health. He explains that he was able to get his desire, passion, and drive back. "It's not just getting back to the way things were; it's about being your most successful, best self."

For most patients, medications to help treat depression and anxiety are not long-term. Many patients are on medications for only a short time. Also, recognize that finding the right type and dosage of medications can take time before you start feeling the positive effects.

When You Should Get Help

There is a fine line between the negative emotions of anxiety or depression, and clinical diagnosis of clinical depression. Your primary care physician should have the tools and training to make a professional diagnosis and make further recommendations as needed.

If your relationships are being impacted by a chronic emotional state, or if your feelings are acting as an impediment to living your life, it's worth reaching out to get help.

Common symptoms of depression include:

• Lack of enjoyment in things you used to enjoy
• Sleep too much, or sleep too little
• Feeling guilty about the inability to function normally
• Lack of energy or motivation to complete tasks
• Suicidal thoughts

If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, consider reaching out to your doctor for a diagnosis.

If you are experiencing thoughts of suicide and need immediate help, call the Utah Crisis Intervention Hotline, 801-587-3000

ER or Not: Rolled Your Ankle

Producer Mitch recently rolled his ankle badly during a run. It hurts and is very swollen. Should he be running to the emergency room for treatment?

According to Dr. Madsen, most rolled ankles hurt and can look pretty bad, but do not require emergency attention. Unless there is a bone sticking out the ankle is seriously misshapen to, an urgent care can provide all the treatment necessary. Another option is a walk-in orthopedic clinic like the one at Ï㽶ÊÓƵ of Utah Health.

There's a protocol used to identify whether or not an x-ray is necessary for your injury called The Ottowa Ankle Rules:

1. Can the ankle bear weight?
2. Is there tenderness on the ankle bones themselves?

If you are unable to stand on the ankle, or if there is tenderness in the two bones that stick out on either side of the ankle, it's time to get an x-ray at an Urgent Care.

Otherwise, you can treat the injury at home with ice, elevation, and an ace bandage compress.

Odds and Ends

The Who Cares About Men's Health 5K has been moved to June 20. We encourage anyone who wants to and show support for Mitch as he gets closer to his goal of going from couch to 5K. The virtual race can be completed any way you'd like, whether it be running, biking, walking, skipping, whatever you can do to get in your physical activity that day. Stay tuned for our updates for the event.

This week you can visit our to get your 5k race bib. Download and print the file so you're ready for race day. Take a photo of yourself in the bib and post them to the Who Cares Facebook page or using the hashtag #WCAMH5k to show your support.

Just Going to Leave This Here

On this episode's Just Going to Leave This Here, Troy finally was able to go for a run without snowshoes, which - as far as he is concerned - marks the end of winter.

Meanwhile, Scot finds himself looking at his phone while he's walking. It's happening much more frequently lately. He's thinking that humanity will have to come up with some way to make sure we don't bump into something.

Talk to Us

If you have any questions, comments, or thoughts, email us at hello@thescoperadio.com.