Hope and Healing from Depression
In a CBS public service announcement, veteran 60 Minutes newsman Mike Wallace tells us to have hope if we are depressed. He reminds us that there is nothing to be ashamed of. Depression is a medical illness, not a failure of personal strength. Depression can be treated and you can go on to live a normal, happy life. “You can beat it as I did,” Wallace tells us.
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Mike Wallace speaks from personal experience. Traumatic events in his professional life were wearing him down. He was unable to sleep or eat normally, placing a further drag on his mind and body. Gradually he sank into depression. “I was copeless; not just hopeless, but copeless,” he said in an interview posted on the Academy of Achievement, a museum of living history. Click here to read the entire interview and Wallace’s personal account of his battle with depression.
Wallace’s experience is not unique. A traumatic personal experience or loss — job loss, death, abuse, financial hardship, major injury, social isolation — can trigger depression in even seemingly strong, healthy and successful individuals. Depression can affect anyone; the illness recognizes no social-economic boundaries. Children and teens are as susceptible to depression as adults.
Effective Treatments for Overcoming Depression
Successful treatment for depression is best directed by an experienced, highly skilled psychiatrist. Treatment is determined by the unique needs of each individual but generally includes a combination of cognitive-behavioral therapy, psychodynamic therapy and medication.
In his interview Wallace points out the crucial value of psychotherapy in concert with pharmaceutical therapy. He notes that he continues to see his psychiatrist every six months “for a lube job” to help maintain his mental equilibrium.
For some people depression is a solitary experience triggered by trauma; for others, it is a chronic, recurring condition that requires continual monitoring just like heart disease, diabetes or any chronic illness. Depression can be successfully treated and controlled with the assistance and guidance of a qualified psychiatrist. If you are depressed, contact Dr. Tracey Marks. There is hope.
