Getting help early the key for people with depression

By Tom Hintgen (Contact) | The Daily Journal

Published Friday, December 28, 2007

Getting help early is not uncommon for people who have physical ailments, and the same should hold true for those having depression or other mental health issues. Unfortunately — when it comes to mental health — people more often than not wait too long before getting the help they need.

“You don’t hear people say, “I just have a broken hip.’ They get help right away,” Lakeland mental Health Center licensed independent clinical social worker Barb Young said. “However, others are content to say, ‘I’m just a little depressed.’ If you’re depressed, why not get the help you need — right away?”

In total agreement with Young is Nancy Larson of Fergus Falls who, after fighting depression for several years, got the help she needed.

“You really need to come in contact with professionals like those at Lakeland Mental Health Center,” Larson said. “Trying to work things out on your own, and relying on help from friends and relatives, just doesn’t work.”

To be sure, Larson said relatives and friends do the best they can. However, she said their solutions to depression such as “look on the bright side” or to “think happy thoughts” are too simple in their approach.

“People really do need to seek out help from professionals who know exactly how to help those with depression and other issues,” Larson said.

Even with the help of professionals, dealing with mental health issues is a long process that requires lots of will power, Larson said.

That observation is echoed by Marsha Krenzel-Stetson, chemical health coordinator.

“Medication for people with depression is not the entire answer to getting better,” Krenzel-Stetson said. “Medication in itself will only get the person to a certain point — to better be able to function in his or her own life. At that point, counseling and therapy comes into play.”

Fran Jacobson, licensed psychologist, said depression is the common cold of mental illness.

“Regrettably, many people suffer needlessly from depression when good treatment options are available,” Jacobson said. “Depression can, in fact, come out of nowhere and it can quickly spiral out of control. People often apologize to others that they’re depressed, and that shouldn’t be the case. They have nothing to apologize for.”

Depression is prevalent among school children, and that’s where chemical and mental health counselor Jim Schaffer comes into the picture.”

“These days parents — compared to five or 10 years ago — are better at getting help for their kids who are depressed,” Schaffer said. “That’s important, because oftentimes kids who don’t get help will self medicate with alcohol or drugs.”

Krenzel-Stetson said that chemical use makes depression worse. Then, in turn, depression will worsen drinking habits and other forms of chemical dependency.

“Depression is present in people of all ages, all lifestyles and all walks of life,” Young said. “Since depression can spiral out of control in quick order, that’s another reason to get help as soon as possible.”

People often ask about the difference between feeling bummed out and being diagnosed as being clinically depressed?

The answer, according to mental health professionals, is that depressive symptoms tend to be more severe. It’s not a brief time-limited problem that is due to stress. The symptoms tend to impair a person's social and occupational functioning.

Stress increases a person’s risk for developing depression. There is also evidence that depression is more common if one has family members who have the problem.

For mild to moderate depression, seeing a counselor to manage symptoms is usually enough. If one has more severe symptoms lasting at least two weeks that prevent them from working, then seeing a primary care doctor or a psychiatrist is the next step that should be taken.