Conquering Depression

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Conquering Depression Conquering Depression World Health Organization Regional Office for South-East Asia New Delhi SEA/Ment/120 Distr: General Conquering Depression: You can get out Authors of the blues Coordinating Author: Contents Dr Sudhir Khandelwal Department of Psychiatry All-India Institute of Medical Sciences New Delhi, India INTRODUCTION 6 HISTORICAL BACKGROUND 10 Co-Authors: MYTHS AND MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT DEPRESSION 14 Dr AKMN Chowdhury H.no. 6/C WHAT IS DEPRESSION? 18 12/10 Mirpur Dhaka, Bangladesh DIAGNOSING DEPRESSION 30 Dr Shishir K. Regmi Department of Psychiatry SOME FACTS AND FIGURES 32 Institute of Medicine Kathmandu, Nepal CONSEQUENCES OF DEPRESSION 37 Dr Nalaka Mendis Department of Psychological Medicine WHAT CAN BE DONE? 40 Faculty of Medicine Colombo, Sri Lanka Dr Phunnappa Kittirattanapaiboon Suanprung Psychiatric Hospital Chiang Mai, Thailand © World Health Organization 2001 This document is not a formal publication of the World Health Organization (WHO), and all rights are reserved by the Organization. The document may, however, be freely reviewed, abstracted, reproduced or translated, in part or in whole, but not for sale or for use in conjunction with commercial purposes. The views expressed in documents by named authors are solely the responsibility of those authors. ! Paintings on pages 9, 17, 21, 26, 36 and 41 have been contributed to WHO by Ms. Yogeeta, an eminent artist. ! Paintings on pages 13, 34, 39 and 45 are part of a WHO-sponsored global school contest on mental health for children aged 6-9 years. ! Computer graphics on pages 6, 15, 19, 23, 24, 28, 31, 33, 38, 43 and 46 were created at Exposure Multiples. SEA/Ment/120 Distr: General Conquering Depression: You can get out Authors of the blues Coordinating Author: Contents Dr Sudhir Khandelwal Department of Psychiatry All-India Institute of Medical Sciences New Delhi, India INTRODUCTION 6 HISTORICAL BACKGROUND 10 Co-Authors: MYTHS AND MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT DEPRESSION 14 Dr AKMN Chowdhury H.no. 6/C WHAT IS DEPRESSION? 18 12/10 Mirpur Dhaka, Bangladesh DIAGNOSING DEPRESSION 30 Dr Shishir K. Regmi Department of Psychiatry SOME FACTS AND FIGURES 32 Institute of Medicine Kathmandu, Nepal CONSEQUENCES OF DEPRESSION 37 Dr Nalaka Mendis Department of Psychological Medicine WHAT CAN BE DONE? 40 Faculty of Medicine Colombo, Sri Lanka Dr Phunnappa Kittirattanapaiboon Suanprung Psychiatric Hospital Chiang Mai, Thailand © World Health Organization 2001 This document is not a formal publication of the World Health Organization (WHO), and all rights are reserved by the Organization. The document may, however, be freely reviewed, abstracted, reproduced or translated, in part or in whole, but not for sale or for use in conjunction with commercial purposes. The views expressed in documents by named authors are solely the responsibility of those authors. ! Paintings on pages 9, 17, 21, 26, 36 and 41 have been contributed to WHO by Ms. Yogeeta, an eminent artist. ! Paintings on pages 13, 34, 39 and 45 are part of a WHO-sponsored global school contest on mental health for children aged 6-9 years. ! Computer graphics on pages 6, 15, 19, 23, 24, 28, 31, 33, 38, 43 and 46 were created at Exposure Multiples. Message from the Regional Director Preface Populations of Member Countries of the World Health Organization's To express emotions, such as, happiness, anger, anxiety, fear or South-East Asia Region have suffered for ages from many sadness, is normal for every human being. So for "sadness" and communicable diseases. While some of these have been successfully "depression", Emile Durkheim, the famous French sociologist and controlled, others continue as serious public health problems. However, philosopher, has very appropriately written: "Man could not live if he recently, it has become increasingly clear that noncommunicable were entirely impervious to sadness. Many sorrows can be endured only diseases, including mental and neurological disorders, are important by being embraced, and the pleasure taken in them naturally has a causes of suffering and death in the Region. An estimated 400 million somewhat melancholy character. So, melancholy is morbid only when it people worldwide suffer from mental and neurological disorders or from occupies too much place in life; but it is equally morbid for it to be psychosocial problems such as those related to alcohol and drug wholly excluded from life". abuse. Our Region accounts for a substantial proportion of such people. Thus, the Region faces the double burden of diseases -- both Depression is certainly not a new disease. It is only the recognition of its communicable and noncommunicable. Moreover, with the population magnitude and the suffering it causes to people, which is a recent increasing in number and age, Member Countries will be burdened phenomenon. WHO data suggest that in 1990 unipolar major with an ever-growing number of patients with mental and neurological depression was already a leading cause of disability worldwide with the disorders. burden from depression increasing in both developed and developing countries. However, very few people are aware of the magnitude of the As Dr Gro Harlem Brundtland, the Director-General of the World Health suffering from depression in the community. Organization says, "Many of them suffer silently, and beyond the suffering and beyond the absence of care lie the frontiers of stigma, Despite the seriousness of depression as a disease and the availability shame, exclusion and, more often than we care to know, death". of effective treatment, only 30% of cases worldwide receive appropriate care. Regrettably, the situation is much worse in the While stigma and discrimination continue to be the biggest obstacles Member Countries of the WHO South-East Asia Region. facing mentally ill people today, inexpensive drugs are not reaching many people with mental and neurological illnesses. Although With the availability of newer medications, non-pharmacological successful methods of involving the family and the community to help in therapies like psychotherapy and cognitive therapy, and the abundant recovery and reduce suffering and accompanying disabilities have social and family support available to patients in our Region, there is been identified, these are yet to be used extensively. Thus, many absolutely no reason why any one should continue to suffer from population groups still remain deprived of the benefits of advancement depression. in medical sciences. Dr Brundtland has said, "By accident or design, we are all responsible for this situation today." This document, prepared by a panel of experts from the Region, provides valuable information on the current state of knowledge about The World Health Organization recently developed a new global policy depression. More importantly, it describes ways and means by which and strategy for work in the area of mental health. Launched by the anyone "can get out of the blues". Director-General in Beijing in November 1999, the policy emphasizes three priority areas of work: (1) Advocacy to raise the profile of mental health and fight discrimination; (2) Policy to integrate mental health into Dr Vijay Chandra the general health sector, and (3) Effective interventions for treatment Regional Adviser, Health and Behaviour and prevention and their dissemination. The South-East Asia Regional World Health Organization Office of the World Health Organization is committed to promoting this Regional Office for South-East Asia policy. Mental health care, unlike many other areas of health, does not generally demand costly technology. Rather, it requires the sensitive deployment of personnel who have been properly trained in the use of relatively inexpensive drugs and psychological support skills on an outpatient basis. What is needed, above all, is for all concerned to work closely together to address the multi-faceted challenges of mental health. Dr Uton Muchtar Rafei Regional Director World Health Organization Regional Office for South-East Asia Message from the Regional Director Preface Populations of Member Countries of the World Health Organization's To express emotions, such as, happiness, anger, anxiety, fear or South-East Asia Region have suffered for ages from many sadness, is normal for every human being. So for "sadness" and communicable diseases. While some of these have been successfully "depression", Emile Durkheim, the famous French sociologist and controlled, others continue as serious public health problems. However, philosopher, has very appropriately written: "Man could not live if he recently, it has become increasingly clear that noncommunicable were entirely impervious to sadness. Many sorrows can be endured only diseases, including mental and neurological disorders, are important by being embraced, and the pleasure taken in them naturally has a causes of suffering and death in the Region. An estimated 400 million somewhat melancholy character. So, melancholy is morbid only when it people worldwide suffer from mental and neurological disorders or from occupies too much place in life; but it is equally morbid for it to be psychosocial problems such as those related to alcohol and drug wholly excluded from life". abuse. Our Region accounts for a substantial proportion of such people. Thus, the Region faces the double burden of diseases -- both Depression is certainly not a new disease. It is only the recognition of its communicable and noncommunicable. Moreover, with the population magnitude and the suffering it causes to people, which is a recent
Recommended publications
  • Cultural and Collective Interpretations of Regular Marijuana Use Impact on Work and School Performance: an Ethnographic Inquiry
    DRAFT: Please do not quote or cite without permission of author s Cultural and Collective Interpretations of Regular Marijuana Use Impact on Work and School Performance: An Ethnographic Inquiry Jan Moravek, Bruce D. Johnson, Eloise Dunlap National Development and Research Institutes, New York Abstract Objective: To compare users’ reports on how their cannabis consumption affects their work and school performance with relevant cultural narratives. Methods: Ninety-two regular marijuana smokers were interviewed in New York City. A qualitative content analysis of the in-depth interviews was juxtaposed with prevalent cultural and collective stories about the effects of marijuana use. Results : Cannabis users reported positive effects in reducing work-related stress, energizing the mind, or enhancing creativity. Negative effects included difficult concentration, memory damage, and lack of motivation or “laziness”. Some discussed preventing adverse effects and resultant job performance losses by avoiding smoking before work or “controlling the high” while at work, yet others depicted negative consequences as unavoidable. Conclusions: Marijuana users spoke in both terms of mainstream narratives (the amotivational syndrome, irresponsible use), and in contrasting collective narratives (glamorizing marijuana as having positive effects on work performance or no relevant consequences, and constructing use as controllable). Introduction In this paper we focus upon the perceived impact of marijuana consumption on work and school performance. Analysis will examine experiences over time from the perspective of marijuana consumers. 1 DRAFT: Please do not quote or cite without permission of author s We explore the variety of experiences informants have had when they have smoked marijuana and gone to their jobs or their classrooms.
    [Show full text]
  • Is Your Depressed Patient Bipolar?
    J Am Board Fam Pract: first published as 10.3122/jabfm.18.4.271 on 29 June 2005. Downloaded from EVIDENCE-BASED CLINICAL MEDICINE Is Your Depressed Patient Bipolar? Neil S. Kaye, MD, DFAPA Accurate diagnosis of mood disorders is critical for treatment to be effective. Distinguishing between major depression and bipolar disorders, especially the depressed phase of a bipolar disorder, is essen- tial, because they differ substantially in their genetics, clinical course, outcomes, prognosis, and treat- ment. In current practice, bipolar disorders, especially bipolar II disorder, are underdiagnosed. Misdi- agnosing bipolar disorders deprives patients of timely and potentially lifesaving treatment, particularly considering the development of newer and possibly more effective medications for both depressive fea- tures and the maintenance treatment (prevention of recurrence/relapse). This article focuses specifi- cally on how to recognize the identifying features suggestive of a bipolar disorder in patients who present with depressive symptoms or who have previously been diagnosed with major depression or dysthymia. This task is not especially time-consuming, and the interested primary care or family physi- cian can easily perform this assessment. Tools to assist the physician in daily practice with the evalua- tion and recognition of bipolar disorders and bipolar depression are presented and discussed. (J Am Board Fam Pract 2005;18:271–81.) Studies have demonstrated that a large proportion orders than in major depression, and the psychiat- of patients in primary care settings have both med- ric treatments of the 2 disorders are distinctly dif- ical and psychiatric diagnoses and require dual ferent.3–5 Whereas antidepressants are the treatment.1 It is thus the responsibility of the pri- treatment of choice for major depression, current mary care physician, in many instances, to correctly guidelines recommend that antidepressants not be diagnose mental illnesses and to treat or make ap- used in the absence of mood stabilizers in patients propriate referrals.
    [Show full text]
  • The Contemporary Jewish Legal Treatment of Depressive Disorders in Conflict with Halakha
    t HaRofei LeShvurei Leiv: The Contemporary Jewish Legal Treatment of Depressive Disorders in Conflict with Halakha Senior Honors Thesis Presented to The Faculty of the School of Arts and Sciences Brandeis University Undergraduate Program in Near Eastern and Judaic Studies Prof. Reuven Kimelman, Advisor Prof. Zvi Zohar, Advisor In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Bachelor of Arts by Ezra Cohen December 2018 Accepted with Highest Honors Copyright by Ezra Cohen Committee Members Name: Prof. Reuven Kimelman Signature: ______________________ Name: Prof. Lynn Kaye Signature: ______________________ Name: Prof. Zvi Zohar Signature: ______________________ Table of Contents A Brief Word & Acknowledgments……………………………………………………………... iii Chapter I: Setting the Stage………………………………………………………………………. 1 a. Why This Thesis is Important Right Now………………………………………... 1 b. Defining Key Terms……………………………………………………………… 4 i. Defining Depression……………………………………………………… 5 ii. Defining Halakha…………………………………………………………. 9 c. A Short History of Depression in Halakhic Literature …………………………. 12 Chapter II: The Contemporary Legal Treatment of Depressive Disorders in Conflict with Halakha…………………………………………………………………………………………. 19 d. Depression & Music Therapy…………………………………………………… 19 e. Depression & Shabbat/Holidays………………………………………………… 28 f. Depression & Abortion…………………………………………………………. 38 g. Depression & Contraception……………………………………………………. 47 h. Depression & Romantic Relationships…………………………………………. 56 i. Depression & Prayer……………………………………………………………. 70 j. Depression &
    [Show full text]
  • Laziness Does Not Exist: but Unseen Barriers Do
    Laziness Does Not Exist: But unseen barriers do. Dr. Devon Price, Social Psychologist, Professor, Blogger Source: https://medium.com/@devonprice/laziness-does-not-exist-3af27e312d01 I’ve been a psychology professor since 2012. In the past six years, I’ve witnessed students of all ages procrastinate on papers, skip presentation days, miss assignments, and let due dates fly by. I’ve seen promising prospective grad students fail to get applications in on time; I’ve watched PhD candidates take months or years revising a single dissertation draft; I once had a student who enrolled in the same class of mine two semesters in a row, and never turned in anything either time. I don’t think laziness was ever at fault. Ever. In fact, I don’t believe that laziness exists. I’m a social psychologist, so I’m interested primarily in the situational and contextual factors that drive human behavior. When you’re seeking to predict or explain a person’s actions, looking at the social norms, and the person’s context, is usually a pretty safe bet. Situational constraints typically predict behavior far better than personality, intelligence, or other individual-level traits. So when I see a student failing to complete assignments, missing deadlines, or not delivering results in other aspects of their life, I’m moved to ask: what are the situational factors holding this student back? What needs are currently not being met? And, when it comes to behavioral “laziness”, I’m especially moved to ask: what are the barriers to action that I can’t see? There are always barriers.
    [Show full text]
  • The History of Depression in Neuroscience Morgan Hellyer
    The History of Depression in Neuroscience Morgan Hellyer It is not a far stretch to say that philosophers and scientists have been examining depression for hundreds of years. Since around 400 BC when Hippocrates began using the terms “mania and melancholia to describe” depression, people have been attempting to not only quantify the concept of depression, but to also understand and treat it (1). The passing years have seen the rise of many different explanations for depression as well as many different treatments. To this day, there is still no quantifiable cure for depression. Even though some may argue that “depression is a treatable illness,” that is unfortunately a false hope (2). The history of depression proves that despite years of research and investigation and a multitude of treatments, the cure for depression is still only a passing hope that is simply masked by current treatments that dull the symptoms of depression. In order to understand the complexity of depression, and therefore why it cannot be easily treated, it is important to first try to define the complexity that is depression. Depression has been defined in a multitude of different ways; the ancient Greeks believed depression was due to “an imbalance in the body’s four humors . with too much [black bile] resulting in a melancholic state of mind” (3). In contrast, early Christianity said that depression was to be blamed on “the devil and God’s anger for man’s suffering” (3). Towards the end of the nineteenth century however, depression was seen as either a neurological or a psychological disorder (4).
    [Show full text]
  • Bipolar Disorders 100 Years After Manic-Depressive Insanity
    Bipolar Disorders 100 years after manic-depressive insanity Edited by Andreas Marneros Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle, Germany and Jules Angst University Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland KLUWER ACADEMIC PUBLISHERS NEW YORK, BOSTON, DORDRECHT, LONDON, MOSCOW eBook ISBN: 0-306-47521-9 Print ISBN: 0-7923-6588-7 ©2002 Kluwer Academic Publishers New York, Boston, Dordrecht, London, Moscow Print ©2000 Kluwer Academic Publishers Dordrecht All rights reserved No part of this eBook may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, recording, or otherwise, without written consent from the Publisher Created in the United States of America Visit Kluwer Online at: http://kluweronline.com and Kluwer's eBookstore at: http://ebooks.kluweronline.com Contents List of contributors ix Acknowledgements xiii Preface xv 1 Bipolar disorders: roots and evolution Andreas Marneros and Jules Angst 1 2 The soft bipolar spectrum: footnotes to Kraepelin on the interface of hypomania, temperament and depression Hagop S. Akiskal and Olavo Pinto 37 3 The mixed bipolar disorders Susan L. McElroy, Marlene P. Freeman and Hagop S. Akiskal 63 4 Rapid-cycling bipolar disorder Joseph R. Calabrese, Daniel J. Rapport, Robert L. Findling, Melvin D. Shelton and Susan E. Kimmel 89 5 Bipolar schizoaffective disorders Andreas Marneros, Arno Deister and Anke Rohde 111 6 Bipolar disorders during pregnancy, post partum and in menopause Anke Rohde and Andreas Marneros 127 7 Adolescent-onset bipolar illness Stan Kutcher 139 8 Bipolar disorder in old age Kenneth I. Shulman and Nathan Herrmann 153 9 Temperament and personality types in bipolar patients: a historical review Jules Angst 175 viii Contents 10 Interactional styles in bipolar disorder Christoph Mundt, Klaus T.
    [Show full text]
  • Exploration of the Meaning of Depression Among Psychologists: a Quantitative and Qualitative Approach
    University of Denver Digital Commons @ DU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Graduate Studies 1-1-2010 Exploration of the Meaning of Depression Among Psychologists: A Quantitative and Qualitative Approach Akira Murata University of Denver Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.du.edu/etd Part of the Counseling Psychology Commons Recommended Citation Murata, Akira, "Exploration of the Meaning of Depression Among Psychologists: A Quantitative and Qualitative Approach" (2010). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 462. https://digitalcommons.du.edu/etd/462 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate Studies at Digital Commons @ DU. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ DU. For more information, please contact [email protected],[email protected]. EXPLORATION OF THE MEANING OF DEPRESSION AMONG PSYCHOLOGISTS: A QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE APPROACH __________ A Dissertation Presented to the Morgridge College of Education University of Denver __________ In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy __________ by Akira Murata August 2010 Advisor: Cynthia McRae ©Copyright by Akira Murata 2010 All Rights Reserved Author: Akira Murata Title: EXPLORATION OF THE MEANING OF DEPRESSION AMONG PSYCHOLOGISTS: A QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE APPROACH Advisor: Cynthia McRae Degree Date: August 2010 Abstract While depression is considered the most common mental illness regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status, compared to research on the general population, depression among psychologists has received little attention. However, as they are one of the major mental health care professionals, psychologists’ mental health could greatly affect their clients’ mental health, which raises competency and ethical concerns regarding their work as clinicians.
    [Show full text]
  • The History of Depression in Neuroscience
    Sound Neuroscience: An Undergraduate Neuroscience Journal Volume 1 Article 4 Issue 1 Historical Perspectives in Neuroscience 5-7-2013 The iH story of Depression in Neuroscience Morgan Hellyer University of Puget Sound, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: http://soundideas.pugetsound.edu/soundneuroscience Part of the Neuroscience and Neurobiology Commons Recommended Citation Hellyer, Morgan (2013) "The iH story of Depression in Neuroscience," Sound Neuroscience: An Undergraduate Neuroscience Journal: Vol. 1: Iss. 1, Article 4. Available at: http://soundideas.pugetsound.edu/soundneuroscience/vol1/iss1/4 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Student Publications at Sound Ideas. It has been accepted for inclusion in Sound Neuroscience: An Undergraduate Neuroscience Journal by an authorized administrator of Sound Ideas. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Hellyer: The History of Depression in Neuroscience The History of Depression in Neuroscience Morgan Hellyer It is not a far stretch to say that philosophers and scientists have been examining depression for hundreds of years. Since around 400 BC when Hippocrates began using the terms “mania and melancholia to describe” depression, people have been attempting to not only quantify the concept of depression, but to also understand and treat it (1). The passing years have seen the rise of many different explanations for depression as well as many different treatments. To this day, there is still no quantifiable cure for depression. Even though some may argue that “depression is a treatable illness,” that is unfortunately a false hope (2). The history of depression proves that despite years of research and investigation and a multitude of treatments, the cure for depression is still only a passing hope that is simply masked by current treatments that dull the symptoms of depression.
    [Show full text]
  • History of Depression Through the Ages
    ISSN: 2455-5460 DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.17352/ada MEDICAL GROUP Received: 23 December, 2019 Review Article Accepted: 05 May, 2020 Published: 06 May, 2020 *Corresponding author: Michel Bourin, Neurobiology History of depression through of anxiety and mood disorders, University of Nantes, 98, rue Joseph Blanchart 44100 Nantes, France, E-mail: the ages Keywords: Depression; DSM; Freud; Greco-roman antiquity; Kraepelin Michel Bourin* https://www.peertechz.com Neurobiology of anxiety and mood disorders, University of Nantes, 98, rue Joseph Blanchart 44100 Nantes, France Abstract Depressive thoughts appeared from the origins of Humanity. They are found in philosophical writings and in literature since Antiquity. They have been approached in a religious or medical way since always, with conceptions which sometimes mixed physiological and mystical explanations. With the advent of psychiatry as a medical discipline, depressive disorder was included in the classifi cations of mental disorders. In the fi rst half of the 20th century, depression was only a detectable syndrome in most mental illnesses, psychoses and neuroses, and received no special attention in our societies. Its determinism is designed in a multifactorial way, integrating psychological, social and biological factors. Introduction - yellow bile coming from the liver (bilious character, that is to say anxious) Depression is often presented as a fashionable disease. It is considered to be the disease of the 21st century. Yet it was - the black or atrabile bile coming from the spleen already described by Hippocrates in antiquity and it was at (melancholic character) the beginning of the 1800s that this term of depression, of the These moods correspond to the four elements themselves Latin "depressio" meaning depression, will make sense with characterized by their own qualities: the birth of psychiatry.
    [Show full text]
  • Empathy and Moral Laziness
    Animal Studies Journal Volume 5 Number 2 Article 3 2016 Empathy and Moral Laziness Kathie Jenni University of Redlands, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://ro.uow.edu.au/asj Part of the Art and Design Commons, Australian Studies Commons, Creative Writing Commons, Digital Humanities Commons, Education Commons, Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Commons, Film and Media Studies Commons, Fine Arts Commons, Philosophy Commons, Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons, and the Theatre and Performance Studies Commons Recommended Citation Jenni, Kathie, Empathy and Moral Laziness, Animal Studies Journal, 5(2), 2016, 21-51. Available at:https://ro.uow.edu.au/asj/vol5/iss2/3 Research Online is the open access institutional repository for the University of Wollongong. For further information contact the UOW Library: [email protected] Empathy and Moral Laziness Abstract In The Empathy Exams Leslie Jamison offers an unusual perspective: ‘Empathy isn’t just something that happens to us – a meteor shower of synapses firing across the brain – it’s also a choice we make: to pay attention, to extend ourselves. It’s made of exertion, that dowdier cousin of impulse’ (23). This essay is dedicated to elaborating that crucial observation. A vast amount of recent research concerns empathy – in evolutionary biology, neurobiology, moral psychology, and ethics. I want to extend these investigations by exploring the degree to which individuals can control our empathy: for whom and what we feel it, to what degree, in what circumstances, and with what practical results. My inquiry is aimed toward showing that humans can find ways to empathize with non-human animals – a capacity that is manifest in our relations with animal companions, but more rarely exercised when we consider animal victims of human exploitation.
    [Show full text]
  • How I Learned I Wasn't Lazy
    — INTRODUCTION — How I Learned I Wasn’t Lazy I have a reputation as a productive person, but that reputation has cost me a lot. To the rest of the world I’ve always looked like a put-together, organized, diligent little worker bee. For years, I managed to balance pro- fessional success, creative output, and activism without letting anybody in my life down. I never turned work in late. If I said I was going to be at an event, I’d be there. If a friend needed help editing a cover letter for a job application (or moral support as they called their congressional represen- tative about the latest human-rights horror of the moment), I was avail- able. Behind that veneer of energy and dependability, I was a wreck. I’d spend hours alone in the dark, overstimulated and too tired to even read a book. I resented every person I said yes to, even as I couldn’t stop over- committing to them. I was forever spreading myself too thin, dragging myself from obligation to obligation, thinking my lack of energy made me unforgivably “lazy.” I know a lot of people like me. People who work overtime, never turn- ing down additional work for fear of disappointing their boss. They’re available to friends and loved ones twenty-four seven, providing an un- ending stream of support and advice. They care about dozens and dozens of social issues yet always feel guilty about not doing “enough” to address them, because there simply aren’t enough hours in the day.
    [Show full text]
  • Joint Action on Mental Health and Well-Being
    PART II. MAINSTREAMING E-MENTAL HEALTH INTERVENTIONS IN EUROPE Joint Action on Mental Health and Well-being DEPRESSION, SUICIDE PREVENTION AND E-HEALTH Situation analysis and recommendations for action MENTAL HEALTH AND WELLBEING REPORT | 1 Co-funded by the European Union Joint Action on Mental Health and Well-being DEPRESSION, SUICIDE PREVENTION AND E-HEALTH Situation analysis and recommendations for action AUTHORS: György Purebl, Ionela Petrea, Laura Shields, Mónika Ditta Tóth, András Székely,Tamás Kurimay, David McDaid, Ella Arensman, Isabela Granic, Katherina Martin Abello EXPERT REVIEW: Danuta Wasserman, Vladimir Carli, Gergő Hadlaczky CONTRIBUTORS: Ulrich Hegerl (Germany), Elisabeth Kohls (Germany), Nicole Koburger (Germany), Toms Pulmanis (Latvia), Airi Värnik (Estonia), Peeter Värnik (Estonia), Merike Sisask (Estonia), Grace O’Regan (Ireland), Marianne Jespersen (Denmark), Dorthe Goldschmidt (Denmark), Gerle Mårten (Sweden), Sara Lundgren (Sweden), Hristo Hinkov (Bulgaria) Date of preparation 29 October 2015 Co-funded by the European Union Joint Action on Mental Health and Well-being DEPRESSION, SUICIDE PREVENTION AND E-HEALTH Situation analysis and recommendations for action Co-funded by the European Union ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This report has been prepared by the teams from Hungary (Semmelweis University Budapest) and Netherlands (Trimbos Institute, Netherlands Institute of Mental Health and Addictions) co-leading the implementation of Workpackage 4 of the Joint Action on Mental Health and Well-being with input from lead experts in the fields of prevention of depression and suicide and e-mental health and from national experts in Member States participating in the Workplackage 4. INDEX 11 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 14 INTRODUCTION 16 PART I. PREVENTION OF DEPRESSION AND SUICIDE IN EUROPE 1.
    [Show full text]