Depression no laughing matter

Charles Schulz's Snoopy once soliloquized, "Yesterday I was a dog.Today I'm a dog. Tomorrow I'll probably still be a dog. Sigh! There's so little hope for advancement." \nGeez. I think our favorite beagle might be depressed. Actually, he might even be clinically depressed and going along untreated, as it seems many Americans (excluding dogs) are today. \nStudies in a recent edition of the Journal of the American Medical Association reveal that only one in five Americans with major depression are receiving effective treatment, and that 34 million people in the country experience depression at some point in their lives. \nRonald Kessler of Harvard Medical School in Boston, leader of the recent study, says the average person with major depression cannot function normally at work or during other activities for up to five weeks during the course of a year, as compared to 15 days of commission for people who have diabetes or hypertension. Even more disturbing is that this minimized attitude people tak toward their mental health adds up, literally. Depressed adults routinely go to work, but lack strong concentration abilities, therefore lowering company productivity. Because of this, depression can cost employers an estimated $31 billion a year, according to the AMA study. \nAnother study, led by Walter Stewart of AdvancePCS Center for Work and Health, found employed adults lose approximately eight hours of productivity a week. In our society, there seems to be some sort of unwritten rule that states we must always be invulnerable and "OK." We are embarrassed or unwilling to admit we might have problems that could require additional assistance besides some over-the-counter drugs or a good nap. There is the stigma that people just need to get over things, or "tough it out." \nIn some cases, this might be true. A break-up with a boyfriend or girlfriend or your favorite TV show being canceled cause some temporary sadness, but that is not what I am talking about here. Serious depression is a mental illness that requires some sort of treatment, whether it be medication, therapy or both. \nWhy is it that when people talk about "taking care" of themselves, this is so often thought of as simply physical health? Even many health insurances do not give adequate mental health coverage, a factor contributing to the lack of adults seeking help with depression. \nHowever, with these recent studies, evidence "confirms there's no scientific justification for treating mental disorders any differently than physical disorders," said Thomas Insel, director of the National Institute of Mental Health. Insel also said 30,000 Americans killed themselves last year, a statistic that almost doubles the number of homicides.\nDepression is not a small public health problem ... and only 21 percent are getting adequate care? I don't think that's acceptable. We wouldn't accept it for diabetes or hypertension, and we shouldn't accept it for depression.\nOur culture needs to reframe the image in which we view health. It's not just runny noses and broken bones -- it encompasses mind, body and spirit, all of which must be regulated and nourished. Snoopy might be a dog today and still tomorrow, but he can enjoy himself if he gets the proper treatment.