How to beat depression: experts say you can

Ebony, August, 1995

EVERYONE has felt depressed at one time or another. This equal-opportunity illness is so common, in fact, that clinical depression is often referred to as the "common cold of mental health."

The good news is that depressed people need not suffer in painful silence. But before you can begin beating depression, you need to learn how to recognize the difference between the "blues" that almost everyone experiences and more severe clinical depression that often requires professional counseling.

It's normal, experts say, for people to feel a certain amount of momentary anxiety over the minor inconveniences of daily living. Everyone has or will have occasional bad days--mornings when you could have stayed in bed rather than face the day. It's not uncommon to hear people say they are depressed when they feel sad, gloomy or emotionally dejected.

Sometimes an event triggers bad feelings--perhaps you were passed over for a promotion, had a fight with your spouse, or lost something of value. Sometimes it's not clear exactly why you feel so down. In either case, the gloomy feelings eventually pass and life goes on.

However, each year more than 17 million Americans, twice as many women as men, experience clinical depression--a "whole-body illness" that is distinguished by its severity, intensity and the length of time it lasts. Clinical depression can last for weeks, months, and even years if ignored and affects how your body feels, determines the kind of mood you're in, what you think, and how you act.

According to the National Institute of Mental Health, one out of 20 working people experience clinical depression every year and neither the young nor the elderly are immune to the disorder. it also affects children, teenagers and three out of 100 people over the age of 65. People between the ages of 24 and 44 experience clinical depression more often than those in other age groups.

Blacks, in particular, may feel blue or even severely depressed more often than others. Although specific statistics are not immediately available, experts agree that given the racism and extreme financial pressures that many African-Americans must contend with, it's not at all surprising that they feel depressed more often than Whites.

Depression has its own set of symptoms and clinicians advise people to be alert to them in themselves, loved ones and friends. They include insomnia or oversleeping, unexplained fatigue, overeating or a loss of appetite, or a loss of interest in pleasurable activities. Feelings of emptiness, guilt, worthlessness or helplessness can also be present. And people suffering from depression sometimes experience unexplained periods of irritability, difficulty concentrating or remembering, persistent sad or anxious moods, or thoughts of death or suicide.

Mental health experts stress that anyone experiencing four or more of these symptoms for more than two weeks may be suffering from clinical depression and should consult a licensed psychologist or psychiatrist immediately. Seeking professional counseling, experts say, is nothing to feel ashamed of and is no different than going to a physician for a physical ailment. Your private physician or the local medical center can refer you to a reputable counselor.

Whether you are just having a bad day or suspect you are experiencing something more serious, ignoring your feelings can only make you feel worse, says Dr. Robert T. Carter, an associate professor of psychology and education at Teacher's College at Columbia University. "It's sort of like a wound. You treat it and take care of it and it heals. On the other hand, if you ignore it, it has the potential to become infected and spread and infect you even more." Any number of potentially negative occurrences in a person's life can make him or her feel momentarily blue or trigger clinical depression--the death of a family member or someone close to you, the loss of a job, a serious illness, chronically difficult relationships, severe financial problems or the remnants of a dysfunctional childhood are examples.

Donna J. Reed says her problems stemmed from a lack of personal fulfillment that remained elusive no matter where or how hard she looked for it. In 1975 she sought professional counseling for the first time to help her deal math the problem. "I lived what I consider a dysfunctional childhood," she recalls. "There was a lot of confusion."

Personal fulfillment and peace of mind evaded her as long as she expected to find it outside of herself. "I've basically been a caretaker and a care-giver most of my life," says the 45-year-old Columbus, Ohio, resident. "I always tried to please the other person--my mother, my dad, my husband, my children. I think that definitely contributed my depression because I was always concerned about talking care of the other person but I was never really concerned about taking care of me."

People who have low self-esteem, who are overly pessimistic, or who, say experts, are easily stressed-out, are particularly vulnerable to depression.