Depression
by Joan-Marie Moss
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IT'S NOT A CASE OF BUZZ WORDS
Depression is not a new disease of the 20th century. Sufferers
are among the elite. Abraham Lincoln, Winston Churchill, Edgar
Allen Poe, Mike Wallace, Joan Rivers and Dick Cavett are among
the many who have been afflicted.
Indications are that those who are more sensitive, creative and
intelligent are more prone to suffering from depression. One
study performed in the '80s found that 38% of 47 writers, poets
and artists had taken medication, sought psychoanalysis or had
been institutionalized for depression and bi-polar disorder.
Another study performed in the 80's showed that more creative
people suffered from emotional strife synonymous with certain
neurosis. (Time-Life Books, 1992)
THE GOOD NEWS
Although the problem appears to be hopeless, there is good
news. If you're going to have an illness, you want it to be
depression. It's the most easily treatable.
The afflicted needs to work at getting back in balance.
Professional counseling, support groups and the medical
profession are learning to work together to speed recovery.
The medication is a critical aspect of treatment. The new drugs
are marvelous even with the occasional discomfort of side
effects. They work to re-balance the synapses that are
responsible for the transmission of brain impulses.
Social workers and psychiatrists, too are much more skilled at
identifying symptoms today than ever. Group counseling, support
groups and crisis lines are more accessible. There's help and
information out there for those who have the courage and
determination to find it.
Much of the work, says Barbara Hayes, a licensed clinical
social worker who oversees a 12-session group that's been
running throughout the summer at Family Service DuPage, focuses
on teaching cognitive reasoning techniques. Those who
participate in this therapy learn to evaluate the validity of
their thought processes and to recognize distorted thinking
patterns. Then they learn to restructure their thought
processes more positively and realistically. It's a sort of de-
programming that allows individuals to discover that there are
other ways to look at one's life experiences. Hayes has found
this kind of therapy most productive when participants have the
appropriate medical support. She assures her patients that
"using medication is not wimping out." Trying to pull yourself
out of depression without the proper medical attention just
doesn't work, she says. It's like a diabetic telling his
pancreas to shoot insulin into his system, she says.
Unfortunately current health care programs, both private
insurance and public aid, put unrealistic limits on treatment.
All too often they cut short coverage long before the patient is
able to cope without the medication and psychological support.
When this happens they "hamstring the health care providers,"
said Rose. It's not at all uncommon for these programs to cut
off the payment for medication and counseling sessions just
about the time a patient starts to show some progress and before
the patient is sufficiently recovered. The only recourse in
cases like that, short of going "cold turkey", is to get on a
waiting list for services that are offered on a sliding scale
fee. All too often the patient is not financially able to handle
that.
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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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