HealthMental Health

3 Things To Understand About Major Depressive Disorder, According to a Mental Health Expert

This is what a psychiatry specialist wants you to understand about major depressive disorder and the stigma that surrounds it.

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Photo: Stocksy/Hernandez & Sorokina
Published Feb 5, 2024

In Partnership With 

AbbVie

Written by 

Well+Good Editors

As the country continues to grapple with a mental health crisis, it may not be a surprise to learn that according to the National Institute of Mental Health, more than 21 million American adults have major depressive disorder, commonly referred to as clinical depression.

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Major depressive disorder is one of the leading causes of disability in the US, which is why board-certified psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner (PMHNP) and graduate educator Bethanie Simmons-Becil, DNP, MSN, is so passionate about raising awareness about major depressive disorder.

Despite how common major depressive disorder is, there are still many misperceptions about depression symptoms and treatment. Here are three things Dr. Simmons-Becil, who has been in the mental health field for over 14 years, wants patients to understand.

Symptoms of depression can present in many ways

People with depression can experience symptoms in different ways. Major depressive disorder doesn’t merely mean you feel sad all the time—it can also mean you can experience a lack of interest or pleasure. In addition to psychological symptoms, someone with depression can experience physical symptoms, such as decreased energy, changes in appetite and sleep.

“There’s a common misconception that major depressive disorder is just a person feeling sad or blue,” Dr. Simmons-Becil says. “But it can be so much more than that. It’s a combination of the sadness with the loss of interest in the things a person previously loved to do, along with physical elements like fatigue, changes in appetite, excessive sleeping, and more. These symptoms can take a toll on a person’s overall health, which may be debilitating.  If left untreated, depression may impact personal, work, and social life.”

Losing interest in the things a person once loved or the inability to feel pleasure is a symptom of major depressive disorder, also known as anhedonia, which may often be seen in people living with major depressive disorder. “One of my patients told me that she no longer enjoyed cooking for her family each night—something that brought her great joy for years,” Dr. Simmons-Becil says. “Another patient told me he no longer enjoyed taking his dog for runs on the beach, which previously he loved to do several times a week. These are just a couple of examples of how depression symptoms can impact your life.”

The first step to managing depression is asking for help

One thing to know about major depressive disorder is that it doesn’t discriminate. While certain factors, such as genetic risks or experiencing a traumatic event, can increase your risk of developing depression, anyone—no matter their age, race, or gender—can be affected by it. The first step in managing depression is having the courage to ask for help.

“I want people experiencing depressive symptoms to know that they can and should talk about it with those they love and trust,” Dr. Simmons-Becil says. “A support network of family and friends is a great place to start, and I’ve found many patients come to me after being encouraged by their loved ones. Depression is common and people need to know they are not alone. There are so many resources out there from individual therapy, peer-to-peer support groups, and professional clinical care.”

On the flip side, if you notice that one of your loved ones may be presenting with symptoms of depression, Dr. Simmons-Becil encourages you to check in on them. “The simple act of touching base with your loved one and asking them how they are could be the spark they need to open up about their struggles, and give you the space to encourage them to get help,” she says.

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Finding a treatment plan that is right for you can help make a difference

Over her many years working in psychiatry and mental health, Dr. Simmons-Becil has witnessed firsthand how finding a treatment plan that is right for the patient can help make a difference. Initial treatment for adults with major depressive disorder is antidepressant therapy. However, after an appropriate dose and duration is achieved, some patients taking an antidepressant may still be struggling with depression symptoms (also known as having a partial response to their antidepressant). For example, Dr. Simmons-Becil worked with one middle-aged woman who was already on a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI), which is a type of medication commonly prescribed to treat major depressive disorder. The patient was taking the SSRI for a while, felt somewhat better, but still struggled with unresolved depression symptoms and was reluctant to bring it up with Dr. Simmons-Becil.

“I’ve found that some patients who are having unresolved depressive symptoms with their current antidepressant may be hesitant to speak up to their health care professional because they are feeling somewhat better than they did before,” Dr. Simmons-Becil says.

For this particular patient, her symptoms persisted and after some time, she raised her concerns to Dr. Simmons-Becil: For her, the current antidepressant was not providing enough relief. She was feeling somewhat better “but just not where [she wanted] to be,” Simmons-Becil says.

In addition to the SSRI that was already helping her patient, Dr. Simmons-Becil prescribed VRAYLAR (cariprazine), a prescription medicine used along with antidepressant medicines to treat major depressive disorder in adults.

“Adding VRAYLAR to the antidepressant helped the woman improve her overall depression symptoms,” Dr. Simmons-Becil says.

That’s why Dr. Simmons-Becil believes it’s important to openly discuss your symptoms with your provider so they can determine if changes to your treatment plan are needed, like her patient did, prompting Dr. Simmons-Becil to add VRAYLAR to the patient’s current antidepressant. Individual results with VRAYLAR may vary.

Although the exact way VRAYLAR works is unknown, it is believed to work differently than most antidepressants. “VRAYLAR is thought to help manage chemicals in the brain, such as serotonin and dopamine, that may help control your mood,” Dr. Simmons-Becil says.

For more information about VRAYLAR visit Vraylar.com. Only your doctor can decide if VRAYLAR is right for you. Elderly dementia patients have an increased risk of death or stroke. Report unusual changes in behavior or suicidal thoughts. Antidepressants can increase these in children and young adults. Please see Important Safety Information below and the full Prescribing Information, including Boxed Warnings and Medication guide.

Healthcare providers can support patients suffering with major depressive disorder in helping them find a treatment plan that is right for them.

“We have to work together and keep having important conversations about mental health and encourage others to seek help when needed,” Dr. Simmons-Becil says. “We can’t be afraid to check in with our loved ones and make sure they are okay. Even if they’re on an antidepressant, they may still be experiencing depressive symptoms. As healthcare providers, we have many useful tools and resources that can help provide support for patients with major depressive disorder.”

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If you or someone you love is suicidal, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8755 or visit suicidepreventionlifeline.org.

IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION

What is the most important information I should know about VRAYLAR?

Elderly people with dementia-related psychosis (having lost touch with reality due to confusion and memory loss) taking medicines like VRAYLAR are at an increased risk of death. VRAYLAR is not approved for treating patients with dementia-related psychosis.

VRAYLAR and antidepressants may increase suicidal thoughts or actions in some children and young adults especially within the first few months of treatment or when the dose is changed. Depression and other mental illnesses are the most important causes of suicidal thoughts and actions. Patients on antidepressants and their families or caregivers should watch for new or worsening depression symptoms, especially sudden changes in mood, behaviors, thoughts, or feelings. This is very important when VRAYLAR or the antidepressant is started or when the dose is changed. Report any change in these symptoms immediately to the doctor.

VRAYLAR may cause serious side effects, including:

  • High blood sugar and diabetes: Increases in blood sugar can happen in some people who take VRAYLAR. Extremely high blood sugar can lead to coma or death. Your healthcare provider should check your blood sugar before or soon after starting VRAYLAR and regularly during treatment. Tell your healthcare provider if you have symptoms such as feeling very thirsty, very hungry, or sick to your stomach, urinating more than usual, feeling weak, tired, confused, or your breath smells fruity.
  • Increased fat levels (cholesterol and triglycerides) in your blood: Your healthcare provider should check fat levels in your blood before or soon after starting VRAYLAR and during treatment.
  • Weight gain: Weight gain has been reported with VRAYLAR. You and your healthcare provider should check your weight before and regularly during treatment.

Who should not take VRAYLAR?

Do not take VRAYLAR if you are allergic to any of its ingredients. Get emergency medical help if you are having an allergic reaction (eg, rash, itching, hives, swelling of the tongue, lip, face or throat).

What should I tell my healthcare provider before taking VRAYLAR?

Tell your healthcare provider about any medical conditions and if you:

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  • have or have had heart problems or a stroke
  • have or have had low or high blood pressure
  • have or have had diabetes or high blood sugar in you or your family
  • have or have had high levels of total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, or triglycerides; or low levels of HDL-cholesterol
  • have or have had seizures (convulsions)
  • have or have had kidney or liver problems
  • have or have had low white blood cell count
  • are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. VRAYLAR may harm your unborn baby. Taking VRAYLAR during your third trimester of pregnancy may cause your baby to have abnormal muscle movements or withdrawal symptoms after birth. Talk to your healthcare provider about the risk to your unborn baby if you take VRAYLAR during pregnancy. If you become pregnant or think you are pregnant during treatment, talk to your healthcare provider about registering with the National Pregnancy Registry for Atypical Antipsychotics at 1-866-961-2388 or http://www.womensmentalhealth.org/clinical-and-research-programs/pregnancyregistry/.
  • are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed. It is not known if VRAYLAR passes into breast milk. Talk to your healthcare provider about the best way to feed your baby during treatment with VRAYLAR.

Tell your healthcare provider about all medicines that you take, including prescriptions, over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and supplements. VRAYLAR may affect the way other medicines work, and other medicines may affect how VRAYLAR works. Do not start or stop any medicines while taking VRAYLAR without talking to your healthcare provider.

What are the most common side effects of VRAYLAR?

  • The most common side effects include difficulty moving or slow movements, tremors, uncontrolled body movements, restlessness and feeling like you need to move around, sleepiness, nausea, vomiting, indigestion, constipation, feeling tired, trouble sleeping, increased appetite, and dizziness.

These are not all the possible side effects of VRAYLAR.

INDICATION AND USAGE

VRAYLAR (cariprazine) is a prescription medicine used along with antidepressant medicines to treat major depressive disorder (MDD) in adults.

Please see the full Prescribing Information, including Boxed Warnings, and Medication Guide.

You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit www.fda.gov/medwatch or call 1-800-FDA-1088.

If you are having difficulty paying for your medicine, AbbVie may be able to help. Visit AbbVie.com/myAbbVieAssist to learn more.

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HealthMental Health

Phone-Free February Calls for Breaking Up With Your Screen—Here’s Why You Should Try the Trend

Phone-Free February encourages you to spend less time on your phone. Here are the benefits of less screen time and tips to stay off it. %

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Photo: Stocksy / Tanya Yatsenko
Published Jan 31, 2025

Written by 

Korin Miller

Our editors independently select these products. Making a purchase through our links may earn Well+Good a commission

If you’ve ever left the house without your phone, you know how naked it can make you feel in those moments before you race back to reclaim your screen. But you’re not the only one experiencing phone dependency: One survey found that we spend up to 40 hours a week on our phones, and 40 percent of adults say they’re online almost constantly, per the Pew Research Center. Does that number surprise you? Then you may be one of those people wondering if it’s a good idea to spend less time on your phone. Enter Phone-Free February.

Experts in This Article

Aaron Brinen

assistant professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Vanderbilt University Medical Center

Jaime Zuckerman

a licensed clinical psychologist based in Pennsylvania

John Mayer

clinical psychologist and author of Family Fit: Find Your Balance in Life

Thea Gallagher

clinical psychologist and co-host of the Mind In View podcast

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This nonprofit campaign encourages people to use their screens less for 28 days, with the ultimate goal of interacting more with the real world. Doing Phone-Free February doesn’t mean you have to completely ditch your phone—that would be impossible for most people with jobs, anyway. But it encourages being on screens less. Here’s what the challenge involves, plus why psychologists say this trend is actually worth considering.

What is Phone-Free February, anyway? 

Phone-Free February is a campaign that was co-created by the Global Solidarity Foundation, a nonprofit organization that focuses on social issues like climate justice, smartphone usage, and sustainability. Phone-Free February kicks off on February 1 and lasts for the entire month.

The overarching goal is to “promote healthier smartphone use by challenging you to go without your phone for the month of February,” according to the Phone-Free February website. Participants can choose from two levels: PhoneFlex, which challenges followers to use their phones less and be mindful about their usage, and Phone-Free, which involves putting your phone in a box for a month. (FYI, the creators of Phone-Free February admit on the challenge’s website that this second category is “radical” and “advanced.”)

If you want to do Phone-Free February the way the challenge was intended, you’ll need to sign up for a level online. But technically, you can just try to spend the month of February being more mindful about your phone usage.

Benefits of reducing your screen time

There is a lot of data to show that our phone usage isn’t exactly healthy. That said, lowering your screen time can offer some useful benefits.

Lowers risk of health conditions

Research shows that excessive screen time is linked with a higher risk of obesity, mental health concerns like anxiety and depression, and sleep complications. And unfortunately, obesity, mental health conditions, and sleep issues can all be related. “If you’re on your phone and scrolling, you usually don’t realize that you’re mindlessly snacking,” says Jaime Zuckerman, PhD, a licensed clinical psychologist based in Pennsylvania.

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Eating more than your body needs can raise your risk of obesity, obesity can then cause sleep disorders like sleep apnea, and not getting enough sleep can worsen your mental health. See the cycle? Cutting back on your screen usage can lower your risk of these health conditions and improve your overall quality of life. “Less screen time could improve your weight and, ultimately, your health,” Dr. Zuckerman adds.

Increases self-awareness

Less time for the phone = more time for you. “A big pro is that you can allow yourself to be with your thoughts when you’re not on your phone,” says Thea Gallagher, PsyD, a clinical assistant professor at NYU Langone Health and a cohost of the Mind in View podcast. “That can be powerful, and you can get to know yourself, building self-awareness of your thoughts, feelings, creative urges, dreams, and imagination.”

Improves relationships

Could your phone affect your relationships? Turns out, yes. Going screenless may also improve your relationships, says psychologist John Mayer, Ph.D., author of Family Fit: Find Your Balance in Life. “I have seen so many relationships being poisoned by one or both partners spending inordinate amounts of time on their phone and not engaging in conversation and activities with their partner,” he says. Without the excess phone usage, you may get some time back to spend with your loved ones and see them beyond the screen.

Boosts mental health

Limiting screen time also means you’re likely to be on social media less—and that can give your mental health a boost, Dr. Zuckerman says.“It reduces the self-comparison that people tend to do on social media and can improve your self-image,” she explains.

Aaron P. Brinen, PsyD, assistant professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, agrees that a lot of phone use is tied to social media. “Many of the things we are doing are algorithm-based,” he says. “Essentially it’s a digital slot machine. Just like any type of behavior on a reinforcement schedule, it’s good to step away. If you’re in Vegas, there’s value in stepping away from the gambling tables. ”When you can make intentional time to take a break, Brinen says you’ll likely notice that your anxiety goes down.

Allows you to become more present

Overall, Dr. Gallagher says that spending less time on your phone allows you to be more present in everyday life. “Phones have a tendency to pull us out of the moment,” she says. “When you remove that, you’re allowing yourself to focus on the people in your life and what’s happening around you.”

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How to spend less time on your phone

Experts say there are a few things you can do to make it easier to spend less time on your phone. Consider these tips:

  • Curb your app use: Disabling push notifications for apps you don’t need, like social media platforms, can go a long way. You can even delete the apps if you have trouble controlling your use, Dr. Gallagher says. “There are timers and reminders on the phones—you can use them,” Dr. Brinen adds. (He points out that he has a timer on his phone for YouTube and has found it to help limit his use.) Apps that limit screen time are also something you can try if the feature isn’t already embedded in your phone.
  • Designate screen-free times during the day: Dr. Gallagher suggests setting aside time when your phone is put away, like from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. (You can also hide your apps from your phone during certain times of the day, Dr. Brinen explains.) The best time frame to choose is ultimately what fits best with your work and home life schedule. If you’re a heavy phone user, Dr. Gallagher suggests going slow. “Start with 20 minutes, then 30 minutes, and note how you feel before and after,” she says. “It can give you an opportunity to see that those breaks are possible and beneficial.”
  • Put your phone to “bed” for the night: Many people use their phone as an alarm, but you don’t have to go this route. Instead, consider investing in an analog alarm clock and putting your phone away in another room for the night at a designated time, like an hour or half hour before you plan to go to sleep. If you’re worried about getting a call about a family emergency, you can put your phone on “do not disturb” but allow certain contacts to still get through.
  • Don’t feel the need to respond immediately: “A lot of us feel like we have to respond right away if somebody texts us,” Dr. Gallagher explains. “But you don’t have to do that.” Instead, she suggests setting a new precedent with yourself where you only respond to texts within a certain window of time or simply don’t feel pressure to get back to people right away. “People should not feel like they need to be constantly contactable,” she says.

What to do when you’re not on your phone

Have the health benefits of reducing screen time convinced you to try the challenge? We’re rooting for you! But, going without a phone (for short or long periods of time) can still be challenging in this day of age. If you’re seeking ideas of what to do with the newly-founded time in your schedule, look no further. Here’s what our experts recommend to maximize your screenless time:

  • Focus on things you enjoy: If you have certain hobbies in place already, Dr. Zuckerman recommends focusing on them more. But she also stresses that you don’t need to spend time doing something during your screenless time because you feel obligated to do it. “If exercising isn’t something you enjoy, don’t do it during that time,” she says. “You have to make sure these are things you enjoy.”
  • Try to spend time outside: Research has linked outdoor time to better mental health, but Dr. Zuckerman says it’s important to get out in a way that feels natural to you. “You don’t need to go on a hike,” she says. “You can just sit on a bench during a lunch break or take a quick walk outside.”
  • Have conversations with other people: It sounds simple, but Dr. Gallagher explains that you’ll be surprised at how much better conversations flow when you’re not distracted by your phone. Dr. Mayer agrees. “Talk to your partner, your kids. Let’s get back to good conversations,” he adds.
  • Start reading: It’s not for everyone, but Dr. Gallagher points out that reading a good book can be a nice substitution for time you would have otherwise spent scrolling. Don’t love books? Try a magazine, comic book, or poetry. Reading shouldn’t be a chore, so find something that actually piques your interest.
  • Spend time with your thoughts: You don’t have to be doing something, physically or mentally, at all hours of the day, Dr. Gallagher says. Taking time to sit, think, and reflect can help you become more mindful and maybe even learn a few things about yourself along the way.

The bottom line

Phone-Free February challenges you to be more mindful about your phone usage. If you feel like you’re probably picking up your phone too often or doomscrolling even though you didn’t even want to, you’re not alone. But, here’s your chance to be more proactive about your habits.

Doing your best to cut down on your screen time can help boost your mental and physical health, and even improve your relationships with loved ones. Just be honest with yourself about when you need to use your phone, and when you don’t, and take things from there. It’s not always easy to give up the devices in our technology-driven world, but be kind to yourself and don’t judge too hard if you still need to be on your phone from time to time. When in doubt, remember what Dr. Gallagher says:  “Have compassion for yourself.”

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