{"id":6536,"date":"2014-09-10T06:00:22","date_gmt":"2014-09-10T10:00:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/?p=6536"},"modified":"2014-09-10T02:56:41","modified_gmt":"2014-09-10T06:56:41","slug":"understanding-depression-lets-keep-talking","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/2014\/09\/understanding-depression-lets-keep-talking.html","title":{"rendered":"Understanding Depression: Let’s Keep Talking"},"content":{"rendered":"

This week, Janet Parshall had me on\u00a0her radio show, In The Market,\u00a0<\/em>to talk about a topic the church and society have \u00a0a great deal of trouble discussing–depression. The phone lines were constantly lit up. People wanted and needed to talk. Emails were sent asking for help. With\u00a0\u00a01 out of 10 people struggling with\u00a0depression, we need to keep talking about it.<\/p>\n

The news of the recent suicides of Robin Williams and GRL lead singer, Simone Battle, brings depression into our daily conversations. Yet, most people are unaware of the many causes of depression. It is\u00a0a complicated disorder that requires on-going attention and treatment.<\/p>\n

Depression can be\u00a0a result of other medical conditions such as hypothyroidism, Cushing’s, heart disease, sleep apnea, strokes, Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, hormonal imbalances, HIV and AIDS, cancer, autoimmune disorders , seizure disorders and chronic pain.<\/p>\n

Depression is also associated with substance abuse and withdrawal from long- term use of many drugs like cocaine, sedatives, narcotics and steroids.<\/p>\n

It is more common in people with a family history of mental illness, suggesting genetic involvement and inheirted traits. And people with depression have biological changes in their brains. Brain chemicals go out of balance\u00a0and hormone changes can\u00a0create\u00a0depressive symptoms.<\/p>\n

Traumatic life events such as childhood trauma, death, loss, financial pressures\u00a0and\u00a0stress that strains a person’s ability to cope all play a role as well. Certain personality traits make a person\u00a0more susceptible to depression. Medication side-effects can cause\u00a0depression. \u00a0For example, a\u00a0common medication like Accutane used to treat acne has a side effect of depression in some people.<\/p>\n

And while the causes of depression are complicated, treatment is available and effective. We know the signs–difficulty concentrating, fatigue, feelings of hopelessness, guilt, worthlessness, helplessness, insomnia or excessive sleeping, loss of pleasure, overeating or appetite changes, sad, anxious or empty feelings, and thoughts of suicide.<\/p>\n

If you struggle, don’t do so in silence. Tell your physician or a mental health professional and\u00a0get the help you need.<\/p>\n

And because so many people are affected by depression, let’s keep talking even when a celebrity isn’t in the news. People’s lives may depend on it.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This week, Janet Parshall had me on\u00a0her radio show, In The Market,\u00a0to talk about a topic the church and society have \u00a0a great deal of trouble discussing–depression. The phone lines were constantly lit up. People wanted and needed to talk. Emails were sent asking for help. With\u00a0\u00a01 out of 10 people struggling with\u00a0depression, we need…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":419,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[914],"tags":[908,304,2184,3031],"class_list":["post-6536","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-family-relationships-2","tag-causes-of-depression","tag-depression","tag-suicide","tag-understanding-depression"],"yoast_head":"\nUnderstanding Depression: Let's Keep Talking<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/2014\/09\/understanding-depression-lets-keep-talking.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Understanding Depression: Let's Keep Talking\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"This week, Janet Parshall had me on\u00a0her radio show, In The Market,\u00a0to talk about a topic the church and society have \u00a0a great deal of trouble discussing–depression. 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