Depression
by Joan-Marie Moss
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Fortunately it's the patient who does the real work of
recovery. Those who discover that they control of their own
destiny have the greatest hope of recovery. They can then learn
how to maintain balance in their lives and their habits. They
practice being less compulsive nurturers. They begin to trust
themselves and be a bit more open with others. They learn to
maintain a childlike attitude of gratitude and wonderment. And,
they learn to be less sensitive to outside turmoil.
One of the key ingredients to healing lies in getting away from
introspection and self-centeredness and to reach out to others.
Those who have been afflicted and have made the most progress
typically have found ways to give of themselves to others less
fortunate or to share their unique talents with the
community...the challenge being that a person who is severely
depressed has great difficulty breaking through his/her feelings
of isolation.
One group of women developed a phone network that they said was
particularly helpful. One of the women is dealing with a
pregnant teenager, another with a financial problems, a third
with the death of a mother and a fourth with an overbearing
aging mother. These women discovered that being able to pick up
the phone and connect with someone who they knew would
understand helped to speed recovery. In short order, often a
matter of minutes, they managed to break the downward spiral of
day-to-day crises. These calls provided the ladies a life-line
that they turn to before the crisis could escalate. Most often
within a very few minutes, they found they could put the
experience into perspective and they'd find themselves laughing.
And therein they found a cure, because you simply can't be
depressed and laugh at the same time.
Dr. Russo's findings confirm that depression is indeed a multi-
factorial disease that encompasses genetic, biological and
environmental factors. He voices the concerns of many when he
says, "The reason that depression is so pervasive is that
society is losing its sense of security and moral fiber in both
the family and in the community. As it's losing its fiber we're
losing our sense of purpose and personal value. At the same time
we need to look at the spiritual component that gives us a sense
of wholeness and peace when looking for solutions."
Those who understand depression agree, with Heddi, "I need
people, but I need people that I can be myself with. And, I need
to find a way to make sense out of the madness I face every day
I walk out my front door. When things get off balance, I need to
make some changes. Alone I can't do it."
NOTE: Although most of the quotes here are those of women, the
situation is far from a woman's problem. Women are simply more
susceptible to depression. "Role strain is a factor, according
to Barbara Hayes. "We are more aware of depression than we were
in the past, but there are more stresses in society today for
women to fulfill multiple roles. They make very heavy demands
upon themselves. Women traditionally are the nurturers and very
often in the process of nurturing others they forget to nurture
themselves....as a result, at some point, people just start
caving in."
The experts tell us that women today suffer twice as much
depression as men. While one in four women can expect to develop
depression during their lifetime, one in eight men can, too.
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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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