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Each of these people took part in a recent public television show “Depression: Out of the Shadows.” Each of them suffered from different types of depression: major depression, dysthymia, post-partum, bi-polar and post-traumatic stress disorder with depression.
What they have to say is profound about suffering from depression, their recovery process and efforts to help others in understanding and ending the silent suffering. One key finding was that more than 20 million Americans are living with depression, many of them terrified to step out of the shadows and seek help.
What follows are a few words from these courageous people and some information from the researchers and therapists from the show.
“If you think about the worst day you’ve ever felt in your life and imagine feeling that way every day, and not knowing why, then you’ll know what depression is,” said Andrew, a successful writer, speaking about his experience of major depression; “The primary experience is the feeling of being isolated of being alone of being cut off from everyone and everything. I knew that the sun was rising and setting but little of its light reached me. I felt myself sagging under what was much stronger than me.”
Andrew believes “the opposite of depression is not happiness but vitality.”
Child birth is a common time for depression to occur. One out of eight mothers will develop post-partum depression. Ellie, the mom of a new born, put it this way, “I felt so terrible and guilty. I expected to have this overwhelming love for him, and I just felt nothing. You get the sensation, well, if this is the way it’s going to be, why bother? This is horrible. This feels terrible and I’m not a good mom, not a good wife, just a lot of feelings of fear and hopelessness.”
Terrie suffered for 30 years with dysthymia, a condition characterized by mild to moderate symptoms of depression. She says “I would come home eat junk food all times of the night, at some point the food wasn’t enough and I would just weep and it was frightening to me. ... There’s power in naming it, when the doctor said, you are clinically depressed, I almost felt like something inside of me jumped up and said, ‘Oh thank you. You put a name to this, and it’s something that’s treatable.’”
Researchers are making advancements in treatment. Brain scans have pinpointed a section of the brain now called Area 25. This area shows overstimulation in depressed people, while the front area of the brain shows decreased activity. The front part of the brain helps with concentration, decision-making, and daily functioning skills, which are all compromised in depression. Experimental treatments, using electrodes to directly target this area are helping those with the most severe forms of depression.
Talk therapy is 70 percent to 80 percent effective when used in conjunction with anti-depressants. New evidence shows that the act of talking like medication also produces changes in the brain in positive ways and talk therapy has the added value of providing people with concrete skills to challenge negative thoughts and establish healthier ways of thinking.
Researchers at the National Institute of Mental Health now know that “depression increases the risk for diabetes and for cardiovascular death, and osteoporosis is higher in people who have depression. It’s a brain disorder, but it’s also a multisystem whole body disorder.”
A few last words from the participants: “If you’re feeling depressed, get help; and if the help isn’t helping, get different help; and don’t give up. The most important thing to know is you will recover, you will be OK, this is a treatable condition. Whatever you do, don’t give up.”
As one researcher put it, “I think in all of this if we could just accept that this is real, that it’s medical and we share the reality and de-stigmatize the illness we could probably cure it faster.“
For more information go to PBS.org or NAMI.org.
Herzing is a therapist at Family and Children’s Center.
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