IMAGINE, for a moment, that you have diabetes. You have an illness caused by something in your genes or just bad biological fortune. Now, suppose people tell you that you don't need medication, you just need to get over whatever it is that's making you think you're a diabetic. Suppose they tell you that you can will it away. Suppose they tell you that you just have to "snap out of it." Sound ridiculous? It is, and yet it happens to people with clinical depression all the time.
There's a lot of confusion out there about what depression really is, as well as what causes it. People must make themselves aware of the realities, including the fact that clinical depression isn't something that sufferers can just "get over" on their own. People must educate themselves about the true nature of the disease - some will have to start by learning that it is a disease. Through becoming more aware of the facts, people will be more able to recognize the disease in others - perhaps even in themselves - and get help.
The prevalence of depression, as well as the seriousness of its consequences, makes it something worth learning about. The number of people affected by depression is enormous. Across the globe, 340 million people suffer from depression, and the World Health Organization predicts that the disease will be the "greatest burden of ill-health to people in the developing world" by the year 2020. It will be the second largest cause of disability as well as death (www.depression-net.com). In the United States, the lost labor hours and decreased productivity caused by depression costs the country $53 billion each year.
Depression is pervasive, yet confusion persists, perhaps because depression is a very mysterious disease. The well-meaning friends and family members of a depressed person may grow frustrated that their loved one just can't get over their sadness and just snap out of it. They may wonder why the person has reason to be sad in the first place; they may also feel guilt, wondering if something they have done has caused their loved one to be depressed.
It must be understood that depressed people cannot just will themselves to be happy, and, in most cases, there is no "reason" for their depression. The onset of depression can come with an adverse event, but often it can come out of nowhere, which can be confusing, even frustrating, for family members. Suzy was just fine last month, and nothing bad has happened to her - why is she so sad all of a sudden? In most cases, depression is essentially a useless, causeless kind of sadness, and because of the lack of rhyme or reason to it, people assume that sufferers should just be able to buck up.
But they can't - not without help. Becoming clinically depressed is just like developing any other kind of disease, like diabetes. It has a biological basis. The exact mechanics of depression are not yet known, but most researchers agree that the disease is due to an imbalance in the brain's neurotransmitters, more specifically the deficiency in noradrenaline and serotonin. There is growing evidence that some genes could make individuals susceptible to the disease, which may explain why it often runs in families.
People who are truly depressed cannot will themselves to get over it any more than people with heart conditions can magically find a way to mend themselves. Fortunately, antidepressant medicines are an effective cure in most cases. About 70 percent of patients with depression respond to treatment with antidepressants that act to rectify imbalances of neurotransmitters.
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Depression is a disease. It is also curable - through medicine, not through depressed people trying to will themselves to be happy. Recognizing these facts and taking the first steps to get help will mean avoiding a lot of unnecessary suffering. Symptoms of depression include changes in sleep habits or eating habits; decreased energy or feelings of fatigue; restlessness and irritability; difficulty in concentrating or making decisions; feelings of hopelessness, helplessness, guilt or worthlessness; persistent sad, anxious or empty feelings; loss of interest in activities formerly enjoyed; and thoughts of death or suicide (www.helpdepression.com).
University students who recognize these symptoms persisting for longer than a few weeks in themselves or others should seek help from Student Health's Counseling and Psychological Services. They can be reached by calling 243-5150 or 924-5556.
(Laura Sahramaa is a Cavalier Daily associate editor. She can be reached at lsahramaa@cavalierdaily.com.)
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