As Fall transitions to Winter, the days get shorter, darker, wetter and colder. Our world turns monotonous and dreary, and many of us are forced to confront the Darkness Within. Invisible and without mercy, Depression stalks us during the day. It haunts our restless nights, forcing us with reddened and teary eyes to wonder, "Who is that person staring at me in the mirror?".

Over 28% of Americans suffer from major depression at least once per year, fewer than half seek treatment. There many reasons - lonliness, continuous stress & anxiety, or rage turned inward. Depression is particularly acute during the upcoming holidays with its forced gaity and overindulgence.

Depression could be a person's responsed to a significant loss of a loved one, a job, financial pressures, and feelings of hopelessness. Depression can also be an ongoing, chronic condition. It can be a learned response or an inherited family trait. Depression affects all ages.

Our teenagers are at special risk. Motor vehicle accidents are the number one cause of death among teenagers.

Suicide is number two.

What are the symptoms?		How do they manifest themselves in our teenagers?
Depressed mood most of the day		Dark clothing, irritability, nihilistic song lyrics
Decreased interest or enjoyment in previously favorite activities		Loss of interest in sports, video games, activities with friends, increased withdrawal or isolation
Significant weight loss or gain		Excessive eating of "comfort" foods, anorexia, bulimia, frequent complaints of headaches or stomachaches
Insomnia or hypersomnia		Excessive late night television, refusal to wake up for school, excessive sleeping during the day, no energy - many "too tired" excuses
Psychomotor agitation		Talk of running away from home or efforts to do so
Loss of self esteem, feelings of guilt		Argumentative or negative behavior, promiscuity, smoking, self deprecation or rejection
Decreased ability to concentrate, indecisiveness		Poor school performance, frequent absences
Recurrent suicidal thoughts or behavior		Preoccupation with thoughts of pain & death, means to end life: rope, pills, razors, guns...

What's Going On?

Our bodies have two main chemicals to help us cope with the stresses of life - seratonin and norepinephrine. They are the knot at the end of the rope we are supposed to hang onto. When we are physically or emotionally stressed out for a long period of time, we burn these chemicals like firewood. Our bodies cannot replenish these chemicals as fast as we consume them. When they are gone, we go into free fall. What happens? We eat too much or too little, lash out at people and then feel guilty, lose our short term memory, lose our motivation to get up and go to work, distance ourselves from our friends and family, and stop doing things that you used to enjoy.

After a while, we become comfortable with this pain, we wallow in our self pity, we relish our victimization as it pulls us deeper and deeper into our personal Hell, our black pit of despair. We feel sorry for ourselves. We put up with an abusive spouse. We may seek escape with alcohol or drugs. We continue to suffer in an unhappy marriage...

We make excuses. We rationalize. We lose focus and initiate too many 'other' activities with none completed to our satisfaction. We avoid the main problem(s) and fail to take action. We fail to take responsibility for ourselves and blame others. The problem(s) remain, the pain remains, we become hopeless and we can reinforce our "unworthiness" continuously.

How Do We Help?

Break the cycle. For relationship problems, seek counselling, make changes and reconcile - or if impossible, see an attorney. For professional or occupational anxiety, take classes for a second career or starting a side business to bring in extra income, some enjoyment, and 'insurance' in case of potential job loss. For severe financial problems - stop nonessential spending and get out of debt - dispose of your credit cards if you have to. For traumatic loss, you have our prayers, and the love of your friends and family. Don't cut them out. Take affirmative, constructive action.

Your physician can prescribe medications to replace the seratonin and norepinephrine. This is not "feel good" medicine, but stabilizes, reinforces, and elevates your natural production of protective chemicals in your body. For effectiveness on severe depression, these medications should be taken for 9 - 12 months. These are nonaddictive and extremely safe and help get you off the emotional roller coaster.

Take Control, Take Responsibility, & DO IT!

There's no stigma in seeking help. Many famous people - writers like Edgar Allen Poe, aritsts like Van Gogh, and musicians like Simon & Garfunkel expressed their pain and sought their salvation through their work. The 'Sounds of Silence' album, beautiful in its melodic eloquence and poetry, epitomizes the solitude and despair of depression.

You Are Not Alone. Pick up a phone and talk to a friend, your mom, a coworker. Eat sensibly. See your physician. Get counselling for dealing with difficult situations. Exercise. It will increase your energy, brighten your outlook, and help you feel better about yourself. Look good, feel good, meet others and make a friend!

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