Coping with Depression

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At least eight million men and women are in immediate need of professional care for depression. Over half the adult population will, at one time or another, experience episodes of depression which may seriously affect their work, personal lives, and physical health. Depression is a common response to loss. Our society confronts individuals with frequent and repeated social, personal, and economic changes, thus increasing the possibility of loss and subsequent depression.

Some of the symptoms of depression are that the person is more tired than usual, may have trouble sleeping, finds it difficult to concentrate. It can become more difficult to make routine decisions and easier to procrastinate. Interest and zest are also down from their usual levels.

Resistance to acknowledging depression and dealing with it often stems from considering depression a form of mental illness. Others consider it a form of weakness and instability.

What is DEPRESSION? It is a change in the way a person sees self, a lowering of self-worth and self-esteem which affects energy levels, spontaneity, initiative, and outlook.

There are moments in everyone's life when the only suitable response is depression. Depression is a healthy reponse to certain kinds of stresses, particularly those involving the loss of someone or something of value.

Depression becomes a medical problem when it is out of proportion to the stress producing it. If it goes on for years without awareness and adequate resolution, it can seriously affect many areas of a person's life.

Depression can be a warning signal. It can alert a person that there is something wrong in life that demands a solution. Successful mastery of a period of depression leads to a greater level of personal insight. Depression can serve as a catalyst for more productive and creative functioning.

Professional care is done on an individualized basis. The removal of the label "sick" when one is depressed helps people to more freely seek help.

Depression is a necessary response to certain life situations. This response can lead to a recombination of the personality at a higher level of effectiveness and a deeper level of insight.

Ronald Pitzer
Family Sociologist

Originally published in September-October 1982

College of Human Ecology in cooperation with the University of Minnesota Extension Service

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