FRIDAY, MARCH 17, 2017
THE BAKER COUNTY PRESS — 5
Local
— SPOTLIGHT ON MENTAL HEALTH —
Depression
BY SUNNY WERNER
Sunny@TheBakerCountyPress.com
Most people suffer from
periods of depression,
sadness and lack of enjoy-
ment in the things that had
previously been enjoyable
to them.
More often than not,
these episodes pass and life
resumes as normal. Life
is not always happy, and
most of us are aware that
we won’t always feel “on
top of the world.”
However, for some
people, these periods begin
to last longer and any ef-
forts they might make to
move on are ineffective.
Eventually, they lose the
impetus to try to overcome
the negativity.
Friends and family are
not always understanding,
and the effort to explain
what is going on emotion-
ally, physically and men-
tally is overwhelming.
For the people who suf-
fer from actual, medically
diagnosable depression, the
more they try to explain to
others what they are feel-
ing, the worse the experi-
ence gets.
Roxanne Dryden-
Edwards, MD, writing for
Medicine.Net explains:
“Depression is not a weak-
ness but a serious mental
illness with biological,
psychological, and social
aspects to its cause, symp-
toms, and treatment. A
person cannot will it away.
Untreated or undertreated,
it can worsen or return.”
Many sufferers will not
consider telling their physi-
cian about the experiences
and the changes that have
been occurring in their
outlook on life. While they
will obtain medical help
for physical problems,
getting help for mental and
emotional issues is still
considered by many to be a
sign of weakness.
Society tends to encour-
age people to “just get over
it” and to “move on with
your life.” Acknowledging
that one is suffering from a
pervasive and overwhelm-
ing emotional and mental
depression isn’t encour-
aged.
Many physical illnesses
can lead to depression as
well, making the diagnosis
even more challenging.
For those suffering
from serious, long-term
or permanent illnesses
such as cancer, any of the
autoimmune diseases or
any disabling condition,
depression frequently goes
hand in hand with the
loss of previous abilities.
With depression comes the
inability to find the daily
energy to overcome each
and every battle faced by
victims of these illnesses.
As defined by the Ameri-
can Psychiatric Asso-
ciation, depression (Major
Depressive Disorder) is “a
common and serious medi-
cal illness that negatively
affects how you feel, the
way you think and how
you act.”
Depression affects an
estimated one in 15 adults
(6.7%) in any given year.
One in six people (16.6%)
will experience depression
at some time in their life.
Depression can strike at
any time but, most often,
first appears during the late
teens to mid-20s. Women
are more likely than men
to experience depres-
sion. Some studies show
that one in three women
will experience a major
depressive episode in their
lifetime.
There are several factors
which may play a part in
depression:
Biochemistry: Differ-
ences in certain chemicals
in the brain
Genetics: Depression can
run in families
Personality: People with
low self-esteem or who
are generally pessimistic
appear to be more likely to
experience depression.
Environmental factors:
Continuous exposure to
violence, neglect, abuse or
poverty may make some
people more vulnerable to
depression.
Depression diagnosed
clinically as there is no
laboratory test or X-ray
for depression. It is,
consequently, critical for
a patient to see a health
professional as soon as
symptoms of depression in
yourself, your friends, or
family are noticed.
The first step in getting
appropriate treatment for
a depressive disorder is
a complete physical and
psychological evaluation
to determine whether the
person has a depressive
disorder.
The following are myths
about depression and its
treatment.
“It is a weakness rather
than an illness.
If the depression sufferer
just tries hard enough, it
will go away without treat-
ment.
Highly intelligent or
highly accomplished peo-
ple do not get depressed.
People with developmen-
tal disabilities do not get
depressed.
People with depression are
“crazy.”
Children, teens, the
elderly, or men do not get
depressed.
The symptoms of
depression are the same
for everyone who gets the
illness.
People who tell someone
they are thinking about
committing suicide are
only trying to get attention
and would never do it, es-
pecially if they have talked
about it before.”
Because depression can
lead to self-harm including
suicide, it is important to
note that one of every 25
suicide attempts results in
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
Stock Photo.
May is Mental Health Awareness Month. Starting
last month and ending in April, The Baker County
Press is running a six-part series on the subject of
mental health, two articles per month leading up to
May. Written in installments by various reporters,
the series will address both well-known and lesser
known mental illnesses, their symptoms, how they
affect individuals and families, and methods for
treatment.
death.
The right exercise, diet,
and activities can help
patients recover from
depression. Research over
the years has shown that
having a pet can help suf-
ferers ease the symptoms
of depression by a measur-
able degree.
Worldwide studies have
proven the beneficial ef-
fects pets have on patients
suffering from a wide
variety of ailments, but the
benefits for those suffering
from depression are consis-
tently high.
The medical and mental
health advantages for pet
owners who can spend
time simply sitting quietly
and stroking their pets has
been consistently proven.
There are also medical
and psychiatric interven-
tions that are used with
varying degrees of success.
These include medica-
tion, talk therapy, or a
combination of the two.
Increasingly, research sug-
gests these treatments may
normalize brain function
associated with depression.
Psychotherapy is often
the first form of treatment
recommended for depres-
sion.
Psychotherapy helps de-
pression by helping people
understand the behaviors,
emotions and ideas that
contribute to their depres-
sion, regain a sense of
control and pleasure in life,
and learn coping tech-
niques as well as problem
solving skills.
Medications used to treat
depression include Selec-
tive Serotonin Reuptake
Inhibitors (SSRI) such as
Zoloft, Celexa and the like.
Antidepressants, including
Welbutrin and Effexor are
also utilized.
Anxiolytic medications
such as Buspirone address
the anxiety portion of
depression.
Antipsychotic meds such
as Abilify can reduce or
improve the symptoms of
depression.
Electroconvulsive
therapy (ECT) involves
passing an electrical cur-
rent through the brain
to produce controlled
seizures. ECT is useful
for patients with severe
depression and for those
who are suicidal. ECT is
administered in a hospital
setting under anesthesia.
A common side effect is
short-term memory loss.
As with many other
physical and mental health
issues, herbal treatments
have been used to treat
depression with varying
degrees of success.
The Mayo Clinic lists
a number of herbal and
supplemental treatments
that have been used by
patients. Their caution is
that these treatments may
interfere with prescribed
medications, causing unex-
pected results.
Research has suggested
that cannabis may be a
promising treatment option
for a number of different
physical and mental health
conditions, from post-
traumatic stress disorder to
chronic pain.
Neuroscientists from the
University of Buffalo’s
Research Institute on Ad-
dictions found that endo-
cannabinoids — chemical
compounds in the brain
that activate the same re-
ceptors as THC, an active
compound in marijuana —
may be helpful in treating
depression that results
from chronic stress.
Perhaps the most impor-
tant support we can offer
family and friends who are
suffering from depression
is to acknowledge their
distress and let them know
that, whether or not we
understand what it is they
are going through, we sup-
port them and know their
suffering is real.
Encouraging them to ac-
cess available help, offer-
ing to accompany them to
appointments, being will-
ing to sit with them when
they just need someone to
“be there,” all are ways to
show we take them seri-
ously and genuinely want
to help.
Pine Fest in Halfway named
Oregon’s Best Music Festival
If you love outdoor
music festivals and you’re
looking for the best in
Oregon, you’ll find it right
here in Baker County.
The Oregon Festival
and Events Association
recently named PineFest in
Halfway Oregon their Best
Music Festival in Oregon.
Always the Friday and
Saturday after Labor Day
weekend, this two-day fes-
tival packs in some of the
best musicians and bands
from around the NorthWest
and as far away as New
York into two exciting
days of great music along
the Hells Canyon Scenic
Byway, making it the
perfect way to celebrate
the end of summer and
arrival of fall in the Wal-
lowa Mountains of Eastern
Oregon.
Save the dates and make
your reservation’s early for
this year’s festivities:
Friday, September 8,
2017 4 p.m. to 10 p.m
Saturday, September 9,
2017 2 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Rescue
A variety of photographs
from past festivals can be
found at http://basecamp-
baker.com/wp/oregons-
best-music-festival-pine-
fest/ or on the Basecamp
Baker Facebook page
thanks to the photographic
talents of Timothy Bishop,
Basecamp Baker.
The pond, which was cordoned off with a tightly strung
barbed wire fence, was on the neighboring property. Once
out of the pond, the boy’s faint heartbeat was detected.
The St. Alphonsus Emergency Room was unusually
busy for Baker City late that morning and afternoon,
with Matty’s Lifeflight going in and out, two ambulances
out front, a full parking lot and a full waiting room of
patients—all the beds were occupied from that point until
early that evening.
Matty was briefly at the Baker City facility before
being transported to St. Alphonsus in Boise, then on to
St. Luke’s Children’s Hospital where an MRI was taken
to determine the extent of the toddler’s brain damage.
Surprisingly, there was none.
“It’s a miracle in a sense that there’s no scientific or
natural explanation—there had to be a divine interven-
tion,” Matthew told KTVB.
As of print, Matty has returned home to Baker City.
Arborist
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3
His dad eventually came to Baker, had all of his gear,
and did tree work here and there. He began to expand,
started to get more equipment, and worked in more loca-
tions, and his wife Lisa works the plant nursery, which
is part of the business. The nursery offers trees, plants,
flowers, vegetables, and other gift items.
“We consider ourselves a tree care company,” said Con-
stantine. “We’re not just out there to cut down your tree
and make a buck. Growing up, it was always stressed to
me that the tree comes first. So, when a client says, ‘Hey,
I have this issue, this is what I want,’ of course we work
with the client, but we say, ‘Here is an alternative to what
you’re asking,’ because that is an improper practice of
pruning or an improper way of taking care of your tree,
and so we offer alternatives.
“The other thing we offer is, again, because trees are so
important to every aspect of our lives, when we remove
trees, if we come to your house and cut down a tree,
because we have the nursery and we have trees to replace
it with, we offer a discount tree replacement program. So,
if you have an old dead tree at your house and you want
it cut down, but you miss the tree and miss the shade,
we’ll write you a 20 percent discount to replace that tree
because it is important that if we cut down a tree, there
should be at least one tree going back in its place. It’s sort
of more, rather than saying you have to replace this tree,
it’s an encouragement.”
Constantine explained that as he was growing up, his
father was unable to find someone reliable or knowledge-
able to take over parts of the business, and the tree busi-
ness fell to the wayside because in the summer months, it
is least important to his other businesses.
Constantine moved to Portland in 2015 for a year
where he learned how to climb trees. He worked dif-
ferent tree services learning not only climbing trees but
rigging and safe rigging practices.
“Our thing is safety,” he said, “And so we don’t want
to damage anyone’s house or anything like that. That
was something that was highly stressed—proper rigging
practices.
“So after I got a fair amount of learning in Portland
under my belt, I moved home and my dad had all of the
equipment just sort of sitting at the time because, again
he didn’t have the time to keep up on all the businesses,
so when I moved home there was an opportunity for me
to learn the rest of it which is going out and bidding on
work, doing estimates, troubleshooting, hazard issues,
potentially hazardous trees.
“And I’m still learning with his help. He’s got 50 years’
experience at it so through that I’m able to sort of rebuild
what he had once started and hopefully expand what we
now have into the outer line areas of Baker City.
“Right now, we don’t leave town a whole lot. We go to
Richland, but it’s kind of exciting especially now with the
certification.”
Constantine explained that there are cities such as Port-
land, if someone were to apply for a bid for a corporation,
a homeowner, or for the city, the city requires that the
arborists be certified through the ISA in order to even put
the bid in for the work.
Constantine explained that the certification has opened
doors for them for work. He explained that in there is no
requirement that he has come across that requires a certi-
fied arborist to put in a bid, but when the day comes, they
will be ready for it.
Cemetery cleanup
March 28-April 13
The City’s maintenance contractor, Grass Master, will
soon be doing spring cleanup and grounds maintenance
work at the Mt. Hope Cemetery, including removal of
deteriorated decorations, flowers, floral designs, thatch-
ing, edging, fertilizing, and weed spraying, weather
permitting. This work is scheduled for March 28 through
April 13. Please remove any decorative items, flowers,
etc. prior. Please note that decorative items not removed
from graves and headstones by that date will be collected
by the contractor beginning on that date. Collected items,
other than perishable or deteriorated items, will be stored
until claimed or until November 1, 2017. Items conform-
ing to the cemetery rules may be placed on or returned to
the graves beginning on April 14, 2017. A copy of the Mt.
Hope Cemetery Rules is available on the city’s website,
www.bakercity.com .