How to Heal Depression - Part three: There Is No Need to Suffer

More than eighty percent of the people with depression can be successfully treated.

Long-term, expensive treatments are seldom necessary.

Modern treatment for most depression is antidepressant medication and short-term "talk" therapy--usually just ten to twenty sessions.

Treatment for depression is relatively inexpensive but whatever the cost, it is more than made up for in increased productivity, efficiency, physical health, improved relationships, and enjoyment of life.

Yes, life will always have its "slings and arrows of outrageous fortune," and, yes, they will hurt. But there's no need to suffer from depression as well.

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Owen Wilson tries ancient Red Indian cleansing ceremony for his depression

Washington, Oct 13 : It seems that the troubled movie star Owen Wilson has taken solace in ancient Native American remedies in order to get rid of the depression that led to his suicide attempt. The 'Wedding Crashers' star was escorted by his brothers Andrew and Luke on the trip to Arizona where they saw the new glass walkway, which allowed the tourists to look directly into the Grand Canyon. A bystander told the National Enquirer that it was on the walkway that a Hualapai medicine man performed a cleansing ceremony for the actor, waving sage over his head while dancing and chanting. "They stayed on the platform for about 30 minutes - with the medicine man chanting and dancing the entire time. Afterward, Owen seemed happy, and he was chatting with tourists," Contact music quoted the bystander, as telling. The actor landed in hospital after slashing his wrists after a reported booze and drug binge at the end of August, but is now recovering.

Owen in a 'cloud of depression'

SUICIDE bid star OWEN WILSON plunged into a “cloud of depression” after splitting with KATE HUDSON, a friend revealed last night. The 38-year-old Wedding Crashers actor has a reputation as a Hollywood party animal. Yet he failed to show at summer beach bashes thrown in Malibu and Beverly Hills. And pals described him as “MIA” — missing in action. One friend said Wilson’s rift with film beauty Kate late last year hit him hard. The pal added: “He seemed to go into a cloud of depression. He was down and didn’t open up. He kind of changed.”

Wilson was still under observation in a hospital detox unit after slashing a wrist and swallowing pills. He issued a plea for privacy in what he called a “difficult time” but made no mention of his suicide attempt. Pulp Fiction star SAMUEL L JACKSON was one of the first visitors to his bedside at LA’s Cedars-Sinai hospital. Friends fear Wilson was pushed over the edge by magazine photos of Kate, 28, kissing her new fella, comic DAX SHEPPARD. But rumours in the US suggested the star also had a drink and drugs problem.

And another friend said the star rowed with a close pal before cutting his wrist. Model Izabella St James told how Wilson used to be a regular at wild parties at the Playboy mansion, often leaving with two busty blondes. She said: “He liked threesomes, especially with blondes.” Wilson has dropped out of his latest movie project Tropic Thunder, which is directed by pal BEN STILLER.

Tropic Thunder was scheduled to shoot in several weeks. Other in-the-works projects such as Drillbit Taylor and Marley & Me are progressing as scheduled. Meanwhile, Owen's friends and colleagues have been quiet, awaiting his lead.

A look at Wilson's collaborations with filmmaker Wes Anderson, which he has called his most personal films, are often comedic meditations on depression, alienation and suicide:

•Bottle Rocket (1996). Wilson and brother Luke star as aimless and less-than-sane buddies on a crime spree. Luke's character was recently released from a psychiatric clinic.

•Rushmore (1998). Bill Murray plays a depressed industrialist who in one scene sinks himself to the bottom of a pool to isolate himself. He finds new passion competing with a prep-school student for the love of a teacher.

•The Royal Tenenbaums (2001). A functional dysfunctional family is the center of this story. Wilson's real-life brother Luke acted out a stark suicide attempt, slashing his wrists in a sink.

•The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou (2004). Wilson stars as a soft-spoken young man who believes a famed oceanographer (Murray) is his father. He reveals that his mother committed suicide.

•The Darjeeling Limited (2007). Wilson stars with Adrien Brody and Jason Schwartzman as estranged brothers who go on a spiritual quest in India. Wilson plays a control freak whose face and arms are scarred from a motorcycle crash that may not to be as accidental as it first seems.

We wish the best to Wilson, not because he is a star, or rich, or Hollywood-connected, but because he’s a human being with an illness, one that can be treated just as physical ailments can be treated. We hope in time he recovers and can speak openly of his struggle, because the public might be more receptive to the educational process for mental illness and its sufferers if the words come from a movie star. Any boost in education would be welcome, not just for the benefit of the millions of people who suffer from treatable mental illnesses, but for society as a whole.

 

How to Heal Depression - Part two: If You Need It, Get Help at Once

If you think you need help, don't hesitate. Get it at once. Call your doctor.

If you feel suicidal and are afraid you might act on it, please call 911, your doctor, a crisis prevention hotline, or go immediately to your local hospital emergency room. (Our thoughts on suicide are on page 36.)

You should also seek help at once if you...

--feel you are "coming apart"

 

--are no longer in control

 

--are about to take an action you may later regret

 

--turn to alcohol, drugs, or other addictive substances in time of need

 

--feel isolated with no one to turn to

This is no time to "be brave" and attempt to "go it alone." In fact, asking for help takes enormous courage.

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Dorothy Hamill, America's sweetheart, discusses her struggle with the demons of depression

Despite her success, Dorothy Hamill has endured intense bouts of depression that at times lead her to feel suicidal.

Dorothy Hamill still has it: the sparkling charm, and the athletic grace that won her Olympic gold in 1976. Her dazzling smile made her America's sweetheart when she won figure skating gold in the 1976 Winter Olympics in Innsbruck, Austria. At nineteen years old, Hamill was thrust into the spotlight and mobbed for autographs. She was a star, but she didn't feel like one. "When you have that goal and you have that dream and it actually happens, you think that it would be a switch," she told CBS News correspondent Thalia Assuras. "And that all of a sudden you'd feel, you know, like an Olympic champion. And I didn't feel any different." At 51, Hamill now recognizes that she, like some 20 million Americans, suffers from depression. It was a family secret that tarnished her Olympic gold. She reveals the truth behind her victory in her new book, "A Skating Life: My Story." My whole family," she said, "my father's side, there was a great deal of depression, and my mother's side as well." Hamill had a strained relationship with her mother, who she said had a lot of negative feelings. "And I think passed that on to, actually, my brother and my sister as well as me," she said. The youngest of three children, it was Hamill who had the drive and determination to become a world class figure skater. And it was her mother who woke at 4 every morning to drive her to the rink. A mother, she now realizes, whose own depression often left the little girl sad and confused. "Very complicated, yes," she said of her relationship with her mother. "I'm still searching to try and figure it out." During Hamill's proudest moment, on the Olympic podium in 1976, her mother was back at the hotel. It is a memory that still hurts. "I guess it was the one time where I really hoped that she would say, 'I'm proud of you.' Or, you know, 'We did well together,'" Hamill said. "It was kind of sad and disappointing." After the Olympics, Hamill began spiraling into different worlds. She did a famous commercial for Clairol shampoo, championing the "short and sassy" haircut. She turned pro and commanded high prices as a performer in the Ice Capades. And there was romance with Dean Paul Martin, son of the legendary Dean Martin, whom she married in 1982. She began living the Hollywood lifestyle of a movie star. "It really was a magical time," she said. "It really was." But there was also a great deal of stress. Hamill was working herself to the point of exhaustion. Martin struggled with his own demons as the son of a star and the husband of America's sweetheart. The two divorced. A short time later, Martin was killed when his plane crashed into the San Gordino Mountains shortly after take off on a routine training mission. Hamill still keeps his photo in her bedroom. "I think there was still that sort of sense of hope that maybe one day we would get back together," she said. But it was her second divorce, from Ken Forsythe, involving a bitter custody battle and bankruptcy after the couple's Ice Capades business failed, that drove Hamill to the brink of despair. "I would describe it as I'd be sitting there having a conversation. Everything would be fine and then I would just be in tears," Hamill said. "Uncontrollable tears, and you know, wanted to sort of - suicidal times. I was in my car and I just kinda wanted to drive into a wall, a cement wall, and be done with it. It was my daughter, just the thought of 'I would never do something so selfish as to leave her, you know, without a mom.'" Her daughter Alex, now a freshman in college, has inherited the family illness, a struggle her mother wishes she didn't have to endure. "It's knowing the pain," she said. "You know, how just awful it is." Today, despite an active performing schedule, lots of friends and a busy life in Baltimore, Hamill still has bouts of depression. "It's all I can do to get off the couch or, you know, can't even unload a dishwasher. I mean, it really is debilitating," she said. Medication and therapy help, says Hamill. But perhaps what keeps her on track and what has kept her from complete darkness is what she's known and loved her whole life. "That sort of magical cool air and the wind at my face and music," she said. "It just sort of always lifts me out of my funk."

Staving Off Holiday Stress And Depression

I remember feeling astonished at a patient of mine in the Denver veterans' hospital who, when I discussed discharging him home for the holidays, began sobbing and asked to be allowed to stay until after Christmas. The holidays were too stressful for him, he said. When I'd moonlight in emergency rooms as a doctor in training, the number of people overcome with grief and anxiety during the December holidays always increased. So I was thrilled when Dr. Neil Price, a psychiatrist at Lawrence and Memorial Hospital, offered to write the following piece on holiday stress:
Every holiday season you can expect to see a plethora of articles abut the “holiday blues” or “Christmas depression.” The content of these stories is as predictable as sidewalk Santas and noisemakers on New Year's Eve. What, if anything, should we take away from these depressing commentaries on the holiday scene? Are they simply a plot directed at us by the Scrooge society? After all, why aren't there any articles about Valentine's Day blues or Halloween depression? The focus is on the holiday season because at no other time of the year are so many of us subjected to so much stress. From Thanksgiving week to New Year's Day we attempt to cope with an increasing level of stress. By January it often has taken a significant toll on us both physically and emotionally. Let's examine ways of dealing with this stress.

There are two major classes of stress — biological and psychological. Biological stressors are those that directly affect our bodies. As the days get shorter in November and December (January February), many people are significantly affected by the decreasing availability of sunlight. This causes them to get out of sync with their normal biological rhythm. After several weeks of this, they feel increasingly fatigued, which may affect their ability to function.

In addition, the decreased sunlight causes an increased appetite with a pronounced craving for sweets, which can bring on undesirable weight gain. All of these changes are a part of what is called seasonal affective disorder, or SAD. SAD is particularly troublesome during the holiday season when there are increased demands on our time and energy.

Several ways to reduce these effects include getting out during the sunny days, avoiding sunglasses and keeping offices and homes well lit. If these fail, a psychiatrist can prescribe photo therapy (a specific type of artificial lighting), which can dramatically reverse the seasonal symptoms.

Another potent biological stressor is the increased intake of alcohol. It is common practice to give alcohol as a gift and alcohol can flow at the endless succession of holiday parties. Increased alcohol consumption may cause fatigue, weight gain and depression. If you are in a recovery program, work your program energetically during this season. For everyone else, moderation is the rule.

The most common biological stressor is the increased physical demands during the holidays. Already jam-packed daily schedules are stretched to the limit by the extra time and energy needed for shopping, partying and traveling. Try to maintain control of your schedule and get enough rest. This will probably mean saying no to some demands. If you haven't said no a few times by the end of December you're probably not protecting yourself enough.

Psychological stressors cause emotional conflict. For example, many people re-experience feelings of grief and sadness during the holidays for loved ones who are no longer with us. The holidays make us reminisce. Separation due to death, divorce or war makes us particularly sad. It is important to express feelings of grief and pain so that family and friends can offer support.

One especially potent psychological stressor is belief in the “Santa myth.” Some believe that Santa or someone else needs to give them exactly what they desire and, if not, they feel cheated and unhappy. Belief in this myth sets us up for unhappiness and creates other difficulties as well. We might use credit cards, for example, to make all of our holiday wishes come true. When the bills come due, however, stress levels may go through the ceiling. It is important to keep expectations realistic and keep in mind the true meaning of the celebration.

It might seem that significant numbers of people simply fall apart during the holiday season. This, however, is not the case. Even though people are subjected to more stress, they are helped by the “holiday spirit” or the “Christmas spirit.” This spirit of hope and peace and brotherhood provides a real sense of support.

When January arrives, however, that sense of support disappears, often leaving people depressed and anxious. It is then we see increased numbers seeking treatment. The key for avoiding January depression is to use good judgment during the holiday season.

Jon Gaudio is a cardiologist in New London. Neil Price is medical director at L&M Hospital's Counseling Center.

Depression - Six Tips for Happiness

1. Give yourself permission to be human. When we accept emotions -- such as fear, sadness, or anxiety -- as natural, we are more likely to overcome them. Rejecting our emotions, positive or negative, leads to frustration and unhappiness.

2. Happiness lies at the intersection between pleasure and meaning. Whether at work or at home, the goal is to engage in activities that are both personally significant and enjoyable. When this is not feasible, make sure you have happiness boosters, moments throughout the week that provide you with both pleasure and meaning.

3. Keep in mind that happiness is mostly dependent on our state of mind, not on our status or the state of our bank account. Barring extreme circumstances, our level of well being is determined by what we choose to focus on (the full or the empty part of the glass) and by our interpretation of external events. For example, do we view failure as catastrophic, or do we see it as a learning opportunity?

4. Simplify! We are, generally, too busy, trying to squeeze in more and more activities into less and less time. Quantity influences quality, and we compromise on our happiness by trying to do too much.

5. Remember the mind-body connection. What we do -- or don't do -- with our bodies influences our mind. Regular exercise, adequate sleep, and healthy eating habits lead to both physical and mental health.

6. Express gratitude, whenever possible. We too often take our lives for granted. Learn to appreciate and savor the wonderful things in life, from people to food, from nature to a smile.