More Than The blues

What do Queen Elizabeth, Jim Carrey, and Sheryl Crow have in common? Each has experienced depressive illness, a condition that affects more than 17 million Americans - one in ten adults - each year. Between 80 percent and 90 percent of cases of depression can be treated successfully, but because two-thirds of those with depression do not get the help they need, the illness continues to cause unnecessary suffering.

As this nation commemorates Women's Health Month in September, is it especially important to note that twice as many women as men experience depression. The specific causes of this disproportionate rate are unclear, but several factors unique to the lives of women are suspected contributors: developmental, reproductive, hormonal, genetic, and other biological factors; abuse and oppression; interpersonal factors; and various psychological and personality traits. Depression is not just a brief case of the blues or a fleeting sadness that lasts for a few hours or even a few days. People who have depression experience at least five of the following symptoms, which must include the first or second symptom, nearly every day, all day, for at least two weeks: Persistent depressed mood, including feelings of sadness or emptiness Loss of interest or pleasure in activities or hobbies that were once enjoyed Feelings of hopelessness and negativity Feelings of guilt, worthlessness, and helplessness Sleeping too much or too little Loss of appetite accompanied by weight loss overeating accompanied by weight gain Decreased energy, fatigue and feeling "slowed down" Restlessness and irritability Difficulty concentrating, remembering, and making decisions Thoughts of suicide or death (not just fear of dying) or suicide attempts Persistent physical symptoms, such as headaches, digestive disorders, or chronic pain, that do not respond to medical treatment and for which no physical cause can be found Why do people refuse to seek help for depression? There are still many stigmas attached to mood disorders, hauled down through the years from the "dark ages" when those whose moods or behaviors were disturbing or misunderstood were caged and chained. The damaging myth is this: that depression is a character flaw and should be overcome by picking oneself up by the bootstraps and snapping out of it. When we have a heart disease we feel free to get help and we discuss the problem with experts, families, and friends; when the brain is ill we often feel ashamed and carry the secret in terrible, lonely agony. It is critical to seek treatment for several reasons, the most basic of which is that depression is treatable. The most compelling reason is that depression is a life-threatening illness; 60 percent of persons with depression have suicidal ideation and 60 percent of all suicides are attributed to depression. October 7, 1999 is National Depression Screening Day and the Washington County Mental Health & Addiction Recovery Board and the Marietta Times are co-sponsoring free depression screenings at three locations: Worthington Center in Belpre (9:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.), O'Neill Senior Citizen Center (2:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.) and Washington County Community Mental Health Services (5:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.). For more information, call 374-6990. We must all refuse to be accomplices to the stigmatization of depression. If you have a loved one who seems depressed, tell him or her what you have noticed and what your concerns are. Maintaining silence for fear of embarrassing or angering the loved one only reinforces the stigma, because in a sense you are agreeing that this obvious condition is so shameful that you cannot even talk about it yourself. And if you feel depressed, check your symptoms against the list. Talk to your doctor or a mental health professional. Be mindful that is not a shame to have depression, but it is a shame to not get help.