In April 2004, at the age of 47, I was diagnosed as suffering from severe depression. It came as a shock to my family members and friends who knew about it as I was known to be bubbly, positive minded, posses great inner strength and have the ability to overcome any challenges, be it minor or major. I have been told that the first questions that came to their minds was, ‘why she?’, ‘why in her late 40s?’ and ‘what could have caused it?’
Globally, depression is the most common disability. It is often found in baby boomers. Why is it that boomers have a better chance of having major depression? The answer is that in the daily quest for success and wealth, as well as in the effort of raising healthy children, a stressful situation can be created. Baby boomers show higher rates of depression than do previous generations. Studies show that stress is a major reason for this. It wasn’t so in my case. During the time I was diagnosed, I was not under any undue stress. I have just completed my PhD and was awaiting to begin my career as an university lecturer. Besides, I had a supportive husband, three wonderful children, and no financial problems. Could it be due to genetic factors? I have an aunty who suffers from mental illness. However, I remembered that I was struggling with the symptoms of menopause during that period of time. There are scientific evidences showing that menopause can trigger off mental illness.
It’s a shame that depression is frequently misdiagnosed and not treated. Research shows that in may suicide cases involving adults, these people have visited their doctor shortly beforehand. In fact, as many as 20 percent had been to their doctor the same day, double this number within a week, and as much as 70 percent had seen their doctor in the last month. So where does one go for help? If your depression is mild, you may well be able to benefit from simple, self-help measures, but when the condition is more severe, you must see a psychiatrist immediately. You must be honest about your problem. Otherwise, your doctor cannot be blamed for a bad diagnosis. You should make sure your doctor understands the extent and severity of your depression. If you’re asked whether you’ve had suicidal thoughts, or thoughts of harming others, make sure to be up-front about it. That will be the first step of the treatment and might save your life. Most doctors prescribed medications that will raise serotonin and norepinephrine levels in the brain. These neurotransmitters help nerve cells communicate within the brain. The medication that I am taking for my depression is Prozac, a drug that does not have as many side-effects as its predecessors. Remember that some medications will not work for some people, while others will. Keep trying until you find the right one. There are times when medication is insufficient to get me out of my depression. Therefore, I had to look beyond medication. This is where counseling helps.
I sought the help of a psychotherapist to get at the root causes of my problem. Don’t underestimate the benefits of therapy. You can learn relaxation and breathing techniques, and your therapist can help you organize your life. They can also help you look at the specific reasons for your depression. It’s typical to see improvement between six and eight weeks after therapy begins. After ten counseling sessions, counseling helped tremendously in untying the knots in my heart and mind. Slowly but surely, I regained my self-confidence and self-esteem. Depression can be a lonely illness, and people affected by it often suffer silently. You have the option to treat it. First recognize the problem and get help. Depression can cause many problems, and even ruin your personal and family life. Learn all you can about it, and get a good therapist to help you get your life back on track. Some people have been depressed for years without knowing it. A good therapist can help figure out at what point the depression began.
By Rita Goh
