Depression is the most common mental health problem,
but also the most treatable!

Depression is an important underlying cause of

• lost productivity = 4 billion dollars a year
• loss of billions of dollars per year = In the U.S. alone exceeded $44 billion in 1990.(1)
• absenteeism, weeks to months on end
• some physical illness
• loss of valuable relationships and life
• The World Health Organization estimates that major depression is the fourth most important cause worldwide of loss in disability-adjusted life years, and will be the second most important cause by 2020.(1)

Profiles of people who more frequently experience depression:

• Survivors of traumatic life events
• Survivors of recurring daily stresses
• Sufferers of chronic physical conditions
  i.e. diabetes, heart disease, alcoholism – when depressed outcome is worse
• People who feel they have high expectations from friends, family and employers
• Well educated young women, with demanding, highly paid careers, competitive style hobbies, wide circle of friends, successful relationships, and parenting.
• Peri-menopausal women with hot flashes
• Genetic influences-family members with anxiety and depression.
• People who used marijuana starting in their teens.
• Current substance abusers
• Individuals between 18 and 44 years of age.
• Men expressing irritability and anger.
• Women with loss of energy and involvement in life.
• People experiencing losses late in life i.e. beginning dementia, family, friends
• People with little or no social support.
• People who experience combinations of the following:
  Feelings of on going sadness every day, lack of interest in pleasure, significant weight changes, sleep problems, feelings of worthlessness, difficulty thinking, concentration or decision making, recurrent thoughts of death, irritability or withdrawal from life.

The best news is that depression is highly treatable.

The breakthroughs in neurochemical biology have provided accurate interventions with medications to support therapeutically efficient cognitive-behavioral interventions. Several attempts may need to be made to find the right combination of therapies. Healing is available!!

For information on a low cost depression group in the Portland-Vancouver area, contact Mary McClay, MSN, CNS, APRN, BC, ARNP at 360-904-6015 or email Celdonnamh02@yahoo.com

Depression Guideline Panel. Depression in Primary Care: Volume 2. Treatment of Major Depression. Clinical Practice Guideline, Number 5. Rockville, MD. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Agency for Health Care Policy and Research. AHCPR Publication No. 93-0551. April 1993.

(1) http://www.ahcpr.gov/clinic/epcsums/deprsumm.htm

Employee Benefit News, 15 September 2002; The Herald, 13 September 2002

Menopause: The Journal of The North American Menopause Society. Menopause 2002; 9: 392–398

Mary McClay, MSN, CNS, APRN, BC, ARNP
Celdonna Services
7902 NE St. John’s Blvd
Vancouver, WA 98665
360-904-6015 or Celdonnamh02@yahoo.com