Don't ignore symptoms of depression

Winston Churchill suffered from depression throughout his life. In a letter home to his wife from the front lines during World War I, he described his sadness, "Sometimes I think I would not mind stopping living very much ... no more tangles to unravel, no more anxieties to face, no more hatreds and injustices to encounter from my political foes. ..."

Similarly, Abraham Lincoln struggled with depression, and once stated, "I am now the most miserable man living. If what I feel were equally distributed to the whole human family, there would be not one cheerful face on earth. Whether I shall ever be better, I cannot tell. I awfully fear I shall not. To remain as I am is impossible. ..."

Depression is often associated with women more so than men. Yet documentations such as the above indicate that men have been suffering from depression throughout history, beginning with the Old Testament and the suicide of King Saul.

Today, the National Institute of Mental Health estimates that at any given time, 12 percent of women and 7 percent of men suffer from some form of depression. And questions have been raised as to whether depression is truly less common in men, or whether women are just more likely to report their symptoms to professionals.

Do you know a man who is irritable, short-tempered, who makes hurtful comments to his wife and children? Perhaps you know a man who drinks too much. Maybe you know a man who seems down all the time, who just doesn't seem interested in previously enjoyed activities, or who isolates himself more than he used to. Perhaps this man is you. Or perhaps this man is someone you care about.

Men often feel ashamed of being depressed. Depression isn't manly. There is a cultural stereotype that depression is a weakness and that men should just "snap out of it."

But why shouldn't men be depressed? After all, stress is at an all-time high. There are demands on men to work longer hours and to produce more at work. In our changing society, there are increased expectations for men to participate in running the household and caring for children. Money doesn't go as far as it used to, and expenses are everywhere, further stressing typically tight budgets.

Meanwhile, the social ties that used to protect people from depression are fragile; people spend less time relaxing and with loved ones. Research indicates that there are genetic predispositions to depression, and that the body's biochemistry is typically not working correctly when someone is depressed. Hence, the medical community is moving closer and closer to seeing depression as a medical illness, rather than a mental illness. So if someone told you to "snap out of" cancer or diabetes, could you?

People often wonder when sadness crosses the threshold into depression. Sadness is, of course, a normal feeling and a normal part of life. When something upsetting happens, we feel sad. Mourning is a sadness that takes time as we grieve the loss of someone or something dear to us. On the other hand, depression is a sense of feeling blue, but there is often not a clear explanation for what is troubling you.

Symptoms of depression can include difficulties with sleep and appetite; crying; feeling hopeless or helpless about the state of your life; feeling sad, irritable or numb; having poorer concentration; feeling guilty or worrying; and losing interest in activities.

Rather than consciously acknowledging their emotional pain, some people express their distress through physical aliments such as headaches, stomach pain or chronic pain and loss of energy. Some men drink too much to numb their emotional pain. Some men become workaholics to distract themselves from internal distress. Thoughts of suicide are not uncommon. In the United States, the third-leading cause of death in young males is suicide.

There are different kinds of depression. Major depression is a more severe episode, in which people feel intense sadness, their functioning decreases substantially, and they may have thoughts of suicide. Dysthymia is a less severe depressed mood, but tends to be longer in nature. It is a sense of not being happy or feeling numb, but you are able to function relatively well.

The good news is that there are a variety of medications that are quite helpful in elevating a depressed mood. Talk therapy has about equal effectiveness, especially if the depression isn't severe. And, with a combination of medications and psychotherapy, 80 percent of individuals recover from depression.

Life these days is hard enough as it is; living with a depressed mood makes it much worse. As our medical community begins to embrace depression as a medical ailment, so too should our society. We need to encourage people who seem depressed to seek help. Getting treatment for your depression can help everyone around you to be happier.

Former professional quarterback Terry Bradshaw, in an interview with the Washington Post, described his struggle with depression, "I have ADD, and I have been diagnosed with depression, and I take drugs for that, but I function normally, and I am not ashamed of it ... Let's be smart enough to know that if you have a problem and you can get help, then let's go get it! ... The end result is that I am happy, and I feel good about my health."

Lisa Keating, Ph.D., is a Carson City clinical psychologist. Write her at editor@nevadaappeal.com.