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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 3, 1997)
ju st o u t ▼ O c to b e r 3 , 1 0 0 7 ▼ 17 here are many taboo subjects that people prefer not to discuss. One of them is clinical depression. It is one of the most commonly untreated (or Millions struggle with clinical depression and queers undertreated) illnesses in the Western world. In the United States 11 million may be at particular risk—but help is out there people suffer from depression, of whom two- T thirds go undiagnosed. For some, admitting to suffering from depression seems to be tanta by Paul Harris mount to acknowledging that they are in some know that they are right and fear that we will be newcomer.” He adds: “As a defense mechanism found out. Children do not wish to be different we have developed insult to a high art, and only from their peers and in trying to fit in have a serve to further undermine the self-esteem of great internal struggle to overcome.” our brothers and sisters. Too often our commu- T T he B ig T aboo , way a failure. This is untrue. Depression is a treatable condition. This month “Mental Illness Awareness Week” takes place from Oct. 5 through 11, along with a National Depression Screening Day on Thursday, Oct. 9. Last October I heard Sue, a middle-aged les- ! bian, talking candidly to an audience about what it is like to live with depression. She told about how it affected her working and private life. Sue, who has been in a relationship with her partner, Cindy, for 21 years, reckons that she has been suffering from a form of low-grade depression all her life. She describes her depres sion vividly: “I used to come home from work and go straight to bed. I gave up hobbies and didn’t want to go out. I started withdrawing from life. It was like being sucked down in quicksand. I always thought I would feel better the next day, but I didn't. It was something over which I felt I had no control.” She started to see a psychiatrist at the urging of a therapist friend and, after at first being resistant to the idea, went on Zoloft. She has noticed an enormous difference. “I have a lot of energy. I have interests back in my life: reading, hospital-visiting, going places.” Robert is a 28-year-old gay man. He related to me how when he suffers one of his deep bouts of depression he finds it difficult to even get out of bed. He doesn't eat properly and sometimes goes a day or so without showering. His home can become so untidy that he dreads anyone ever dropping by unannounced. “I get As a result, he argues, gay men and lesbians into a vicious cycle. The place gets untidy. I grow up with self-loathing and low self-esteem. can't face dealing with it, so it gets even worse. “These internal struggles are sometimes too dif Then I get the feeling that my problems are ficult to overcome on our own, often resulting insurmountable. Just the other day I couldn't get in teenage suicide, and/or substance abuse as a up and start functioning until after four in the means of self-medicating.” afternoon. So as a result my sleeping pattern A Chicago-based psychologist, Dr. John gets wrecked, and I wind up falling asleep when Carney, believes that gay rural teens are espe 1 should be awake and so on and so on.” cially vulnerable to depression and suicidal Win, a gay man in his mid-60s, pulled no thoughts due to the lack of visibility of gay punches in describing how depression affects adults and the lack of visible and accessible him: “You lose your self-esteem, self-confi supportive services. dence, you feel you don’t have friends, you Works does not see an easy solution to this wish you were dead. It gets to the point where problem while “the codified condemnation of you want to be totally isolated, you don’t want our kind continues. Gay and lesbian youth to be around people.” groups are a wonderful way to help ease young Some believe that gay men and lesbians are people through the pain of self-discovery, but more prone to depression than the rest of the they are not prevalent in the smaller cities and population. Dr. Lee Works, who is based in towns across America.” Vermont, believes it is because of the condem Even when people come to terms with their nation of our sexual expression by the institu sexuality and enter the gay and lesbian commu tions of society from when we are children nity, Works points out that all too often the com onward: “As children, the strongest insults munity “is not driven by those good and noble hurled at one another refer to our differences in intentions toward the newcomer that I would a negative way. When some other child shouts like to see. Instead we find people driven by ‘faggot’ or ‘queer’ at us, deep down inside we their baser urges to have their way with this nity is not based on healthy interactions, but on who might have the sharper tongue.” A retired psychologist living in Texas com pared working with gay men and lesbians to “working with elderly nursing home patients. Both groups know that they live in a world which would rather that they just go away. This lack of social support limits their sense of social value, and hence their self-esteem.” Dr. Michael McGinn, a psychologist based in New York City, described to me in very stark terms the problems that lead many of us to hav ing to deal with depression. “Familial rejection or oppression, internalized homophobia, a heightened potential for alcohol and substance abuse, fear of death or dying, together with loss of friends and ‘family’ to an as yet incurable disease, AIDS, as well as a glaring emphasis on appearance and youth, create a perfect list of ingredients for a depression cocktail.” McGinn’s comments were confirmed by an article published in The Journal o f Health and Social Behavior, which found three main stres sors at work: internalized homophobia, expecta tions of rejection and discrimination, and actual events of anti-gay violence and discrimination. The study, conducted by Dr. Ilan Meyer, an assistant professor at Columbia School of Public Health, went on to show that a sense of community cohesiveness served to reduce men tal health problems. “Men who felt connected to the gay community were better able to cope and had lower levels of stress.” All this begs the question of what you should do if you realize that you are suffering from depression. Dr. Christopher Mahon, a psy chiatrist in practice in Fort Lauderdale, suggests that you start by getting a physical examination from your regular physician to rule out prob lems with either your thyroid gland or anemia. Once these have been ruled out, you should seek to see either (or both) a psychologist or psychiatrist. What is the difference, you may ask. Well, a psychiatrist is an M.D. or D.O. who specializes in psychiatry and can prescribe medications, while a psychologist has a Ph D. or Psy.D. and cannot prescribe. They represent differing approaches to mental illness, although it is not unusual to find a psychiatrist and a psychologist working together to help a patient. The psychi atrist will emphasize the medical aspects of ill nesses like depression, while the psychologist will pursue a behavioral model of treatment and will seek to make a psychological assessment. Mahon points out that most mood disorders are treatable. Many people feel a combination of medications and “talking therapy” is best. Obviously it is important to see a “gay affirma tive” professional, as the worlds of psychiatry and psychology are not without their bigots. There are several ways to find the right person to help you. A recommendation from a friend is one way to start. Alternatively, psychologists and psychiatrists who advertise in the lesbian and gay press are very likely to be supportive. Mahon suggests that you “shop around"; just because a therapist or psychiatrist gets on well with one of your friends doesn’t necessarily mean he or she will get on well with you! His other suggestion is to ask questions: What is the person’s philosophy of treatment? What is his or her specialty? What approach will be used? Are various treatment options available, includ ing biochemical ones? Some people in recovery from alcohol or drug addiction struggle when it comes to seek ing medical help to deal with their depression. This is a mistake, as Alcoholics Anonymous’ famous “Big Book” makes clear. Mahon points out that none of the anti-depressants are addic tive, while nearly all of the anti-anxiety drugs are. He also pointed out that all sleeping pills are addicting. Depression knows no boundaries, and one can have a genetic predisposition to the illness. Women are twice as likely to suffer from it as men. It can be absolute hell to live with. Robert described it to me as “like seeing everything in shades of gray.” Very often it is not possible to simply pull yourself together. But with all the professionals in the health care field who are supportive of our lifestyles, know that help is at hand. As McGinn says, “Do yourself a favor and don’t waste your life being semi-satisfied and marginally fulfilled. Life is not a dress rehearsal. Check around and find a person who can help you define where you want to go, and how to get there from here.” National Depression Screening Day sites in Oregon National Depression Screening Day is a mental health outreach program designed to destigmatize depression and educate people about its signs, symptoms and treatment. The program provides individuals with the opportunity to take a written test for depression, discuss the results with a mental health professional and be referred for follow-up if necessary. National Depression Screening Day pro vides sites with materials to conduct the screenings, which will be held Thursday, Oct. 9, around the state. Astoria: Clatsop Behavioral Healthcare. (503) 325-5722, ext. 10 Enterprise: Community Connections, (541) 426-4524 Eugene: Ramada Inn, (541 ) 342-518 1 Forest Grove: Tuality Center for Geriatric Psychiatry. (503) 359-6968 Grants Pass: Josephine County Mental Health, (541) 474-5365, ext. 2071; New Hope Center, Donald M. Steinert. M.A., (541)479-8394 Gresham: Mt. Hood Community College, (503) 667-6422 Klamath Falls: Klamath Mental Health Center, (541) 882-7291 La Grande: Grande Ronde Hospital/Blue Mountain Behavioral Healthcare, (541) 963-1480 Lake Oswego: Abilities Center, (503) 636-0111 Marvlhurst: Cornelia Connelly Pastoral Counseling Center. (503)636-1157 Medford: Jackson County Mental Health, (541) 776-7355, ext. 341 Newhurg: BHC Pacific Counseling Center, (503) 537-0721 North Bend: Pony Village Mall. (541) 269-8076 Oregon City: Clackamas Community College, (503) 657-6958. ext. 2518 Portland: BHC Pacific Gateway Hospital. 1-800-234-4545; Providence Health System, (503) 2 15-2686; Portland Medical Center; Providence St. Vincent Hospital Roseburg: Mercy Medical Center Community Education, (541)677-2102 Salem: Salem Clinic, (503) 315-4622 Note: These providers are authorized by the National Depression Screening Day program; Just Out cannot attest to whether or not they are queer-positive.