[This is a guest post by Heather Munro Prescott, a professor of history & women's studies at CCSU. A medical historian, she's published two books, A Doctor of Their Own and Student Bodies: The Impact of Student Health on American Society and Medicine. Heather blogs at Knitting Clio.--JBJ]
I’m sure a number of you have read the recent article in the New York Times magazine claiming there is an “upside” of depression. The article explores the work of evolutionary psychologists who suggest the radical notion that depression, and more specifically the rumination that goes with it, can impart a “net mental benefit” by helping us to solve difficult problems. As someone who has suffered from several major depressive episodes and takes medication to prevent future ones, I found myself siding with psychiatrist Peter Kramer. There is nothing “romantic: about depression, just as there was nothing “glamorous” about dying young from tuberculosis. In fact, there is a persistent stigma against mental illness and those who suffer from it — just read the stories in the thread I started in the forums of the Chronicle of Higher Education.
Now, I’m not talking about “ordinary” sadness (note quotes — for some, the extreme sadness that understandably follows death, divorce, or other major stressful events can be quite debilitating). I’m talking about these signs of clinical depression from WebMD. We academics are used to “powering through” illness and bad moods. This doesn’t work for severe depression though, especially if your symptoms make it impossible to keep your condition “in the closet.” Here’s some advice I and others gave to a query at the health issues on the job forum at the Chronicle:
1. Get help as soon as possible. Many personnel departments have information on Employee Assistance Programs. Use it! Don’t think you’re “weak” because you need to see psychiatrist. You have a disease like any other. Would you delay treatment for other life-threatening conditions?
2. Find a local support network, preferably one that is outside of your workplace.
3. Make sure to find time for non-work activities that can improve your mental and physical health. The tips elsewhere on this blog about health, work-life balance and mindfulness are especially important when you’re depressed. Get adequate amounts of sleep, eat nutritious meals, get regular exercise, find ways to relax. Meditation is a great way to get yourself out of the endless and counter-productive rumination that comes with depression. I highly recommend the book The Mindful Way Through Depression: Freeing Yourself from Chronic Unhappiness.
4. Get out and interact with other people even if you don’t feel like it. Isolation tends to exacerbate depression.
5. Know your rights and benefits. Get information on your institution’s policies for sick leave and/or long-term disability. Mental illness is covered by the Americans with Disabilities Act. Employers must make reasonable accommodations as with physical disabilities. Once you receive a diagnosis and treatment plan for your provider, make sure to document this with your personnel department so if you need an accommodation at some point there will be a record. Like other personnel records, this information is confidential and will not be exposed without your permission.
6. Confide in trusted friends and colleagues. Despite persistent prejudice against people with mental illness, you may find that people are more sympathetic than you think. You may also find that others are also taking “happy pills.”
7. Don’t catastrophize — if you have a bad day and/or get mean comments from colleagues, try to let it go.
8. Find a support group. Your state chapter of National Alliance on Mental Illness should have a list of ones in your area.
Above all, remember you are not alone. Check out the website, Patients Like Me to learn more from other people experiencing mental health issues.
Image by Flickr user TheeErin / Creative Commons licensed
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