Depression
by Joan-Marie Moss
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If you're not suffering from depression yourself, chances are
that anywhere from 15 to 50 of every hundred people you know
are. It is an insidious illness that sucks an individual further
and further into a state of "impotence" and at the same time
impacts the well-being of everyone who comes in contact with
him/her. The numbers offered here are somewhat ambiguous because
depression is only recently recognized as a real illness and not
a figment of one's imagination.
Diane, who has been suffering from depression for more than
eleven years, is one of those who are willing to talk about her
illness. She says, "Most people are still very much surprised
that I admit and am willing to talk openly about my depression.
There is still a stigma associated with the disease. People
still don't understand." For this reason, we won't use real
names in this article although the people who shared their
stories are very real.
Incidences of this illness are staggering. An estimated 10-14
million Americans suffer from depression, according to a recent
article in the Alliance for the Mentally Ill publication. Other
estimates range as high as 35-40 million.
No one is immune from an attack of depression. Keep in mind
that everyone feels "down" or "blue" at times. That's normal.
But it's been estimated that 26 out of 100 women and 12 out of
every 100 men will have a major depressive episode at least once
in their lives. For creative individuals the estimate increases
to 38 out of 100.
Statistics can be deceiving and any attempt to quantify this
disease could be challenged. Particularly since, according to
the Alliance for Mentally Ill, we're talking about those who are
only now beginning to and seek help -- 80 % of those suffering
from depression never seek treatment and suffer needlessly.
DuPage County is not immune. In fact, Dr. Martin Russo, a
physician working with Central DuPage Hospital with offices in
Bloomingdale, reports that easily forty to fifty percent of his
patients are suffering from depression. Social workers and
doctors throughout the county report similar statistics.
For this article only the most conservative numbers will be
used. The indication, then, is that at least 150 out of every
thousand suffer from this debilitating disease. In DuPage
County, Illinois that translates to more than of 132,000 -- in
Elmhurst, approximately 6,300 people -- live with some level of
depression.
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joanmari@cyberrealm.net
JOAN-MARIE MOSS is a non-fiction author published in both
national and regional markets. She specializes in business
communications and public relations for businesses and
professionals. She serves as consultant and
communications/public relations specialist offering a full range
of services from writing to desktop publishing and public
speaking. Joan-Marie teaches Business Writing, Copyediting and
Public Relations at Oakton Community college and has been guest
speaker on WWCN and WDCB Radio. She currently writes for the
Daily Herald and Press Publications, and is working on her
second book.
Visit her web site
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