My real name is Peter Sullivan, and I have been treated for depression.

[SoxFan]

There. I said it.

In yesterday's edition of the Manchester Express, an increasingly sensationalistic weekly, one of my political opponents launched a barrage of attacks on me. Among his charges was an accusation that I supposedly told him that I was "manic depressive".

Now, let's put aside the fact that I would no sooner discuss my health issues with this guy than I would share a needle with Courtney Love. let's also put aside the fact that there is actually no such diagnosis as "manic depressive". Let's get to the deeper issue.

I have been treated for depression. I take an SNRI and go to occasional counseling. It's not always easy to deal with, but I have been able to get myself back to a reasonably good position.

And yes, I have done so while living in the public eye as a local elected official.

Mental health is no different than any other area of health care. People who are ill should receive an appropriate form of treatment. The problem is that all too often, fools with a backward attitude towards mental health choose to use it as an excuse to launch whispering campaigns, to demean a person's character. As a result, people who could use treatment for depression, bipolar disorders, and other conditions choose to forgo treatment out of fear of being branded as "crazy" or "nuts".

This has to stop.

Nobody would be ashamed to get help for acid reflux, plantar fascitis, or gall stones. Depression is a medical condition, not a character flaw, and it is time that it be treated as such.

Let's grow up. Let's tell the character assassins that we aren't going to put up with their stigmas and their hate any longer.

[Subdivisions]

1. I'm with ya, Peter. K & R. nt

[Demoiselle]

2. Thank you. Beautifully said.(eom)

[EFerrari]

3. Time to grow is right!

:applause:

[spoony]

Well put! k/r

[CraftyGal]

4. Good on you for coming out on this timely subject.

I have dealt with depression all my life, only to discover that I was misdiagnosed. I am actually bi-polar and that got more negative reactions than the depression did. I hardly talk about it except with TrogL because no one really understands the issues surrounding bi-polar disorder.

Thank you.

CraftyGal

[SoxFan]

13. There's a book that I reccomend

"Darkness is My Only Companion", by Katherine Greene-McCreight. She's an Episcopal priest and scholar at Albertus Magnus College in Connecticut. She discusses her struggle with Type II bipolar disorder in deeply spiritual terms. Even if you don't come from her theological neck of the woods (ie, Catholic, Episcopalian), it is still a very compelling and moving book. It is very helpful in getting one's family members to understand the inner turmoil.

[Ocracoker16]

30. I liked that book very much

I have read many books about mental illness. This was the only one that discussed how having a mental illness might affect someone's spiritual life. I am Episcopalian myself so I really appreciated reading the reflections of another Episcopalian no less a priest.

[CraftyGal]

49. I will have to reccomend the book to TrogL.

Ww are Anglo-Catholic which is similar to Episcopalian.

CraftyGal

[tavalon]

77. Amen, there is far more stigma placed on bipolar than unipolar

I mean depression, but see it really is on the same boat.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

5. Well said!

Nothing to add but...

K&R

:patriot:

[shadowknows69]

6. Sir, I'd like to (virtually in this case) shake your hand

And say I am happy you've had success with your struggle. I've been "blessed" with a lifetime of various disorders, not the least of which depression, that I've been able to get little to no treatment for over the years because of the lack of decent and affordable psychiatric help. That lack of treatment has effectively brought me to a state of near non functionality and the stigma of it all is no small part of that. I live in a small enough town and was at one time a public figure myself here so unfortunately everyone knows I'm "crazy" including most perspective employers. Funny SSI/Disability boards don't seem to take that stigma into consideration when refusing claims. They think I should just be able to "pill up" and anyone out there will just be dying to hire me.

Rambling post I know but the point was to applaud you for your courage and join a fellow "crazy" in solidarity.
Scott

[coffeenap]

7. Yes, let's grow up indeed! It is WAY past time--thanks! nt

[Captain Hilts]

8. You're not the only Sox fan who has suffered!

Be well.

[SoxFan]

10. Being a Red Sox fan probably triggered the damn thing!

Bucky Dent, Aaron Boone, and Mookie Wilson probably had a cumulative impact on my psyche!

[Captain Hilts]

14. I was and am a real Sox fan, but...

loved Mookie from the day he came to play for AAA Tidewater.

Ain't life ironic?

Then all those rumors that he'd be traded to the Sox for the '87 season. I would have been kind of excited about that.

[SoxFan]

17. I always have a soft spot for guys I saw in the minors

When I lived in New Orleans, I saw Mark Loretta, Jeff Cirillo, and Troy O'Leary play for the then-Brewers farm club, and I followed them as they made it to the majors.

Now, I get to see Blue Jays like Brandon League and Aaron Hill at the AA level.

[Ken Burch]

55. I grew up in Oregon, and remember Luis Tiant pitching for the Portland Beavers

(Triple-A Pacific Coast League)and still pitching pretty damn well after being sent down.

[Ken Burch]

54. ,,,,especially if he'd been traded for Buckner.

(now THAT's a guy who deserves a break from history. He had a great career with a whole bunch of teams, and yet that one moment is all he'll be remembered for. Yeah, right, like it couldn't possibly have happened to anybody else.)

[SoxFan]

63. Poor Bill Buckner

What a lot of people forget is that he came back to the Red Sox after leaving for a year or two. He received an enormous standing ovation. The vast majority of Sox fans understand that Buck shouldn't have been in the game at that point. Dave Stapleton, the usual defensive replacement, should have been in there.

It would have saved a lot of us another 18 years of heartache and heartburn!

[Ken Burch]

70. Why wasn't Stapleton in?

n/t.

[Captain Hilts]

95. Buckner wanted to be on the field when they won.

Morgan let him stay in. Mistake.

[Captain Hilts]

94. Bob Stanley should have broken towards the bag. Buckner would not have beaten Mookie...

to first even had he cleanly fielded it as he was moving left and by then Mookie was a blur of speed.

It wasn't Buckner's fault at all.

[JenniferJuniper]

15. They once troubled me as well but

now I just think of Dave Roberts and all is cool.

[pipi_k]

91. Being a Patriots fan wasn't much better this past year...

starting with that heartbreaking final catch in last year's Superbowl.

Then the knee injury felt all around Patriots Nation...

:cry:


Just as well they didn't make it back to the SB this year. I really don't think I could stand the pressure.

[shadowknows69]

9. As an afterthought since you've got me fired up today

The next DUer I see write the timeless phrase "Someone must be off their meds" i'm virtually kicking them square in the ass. I really hate that.

[SoxFan]

12. Amen to that!

Speaking of "being off meds", I actually get weird physical symptoms if I miss a few doses of my SNRI (Effexor). I get dizzy spells and serious fatigue, similar to the early stages of the flu.

[canoeist52]

20. "dizzy spells and serious fatigue" -I called them head buzzes

from withdrawl from Paxil a few yrs ago. Even very gradually withdrawing from SSRI's will give most people side effects. When I was on Paxil I was always careful not to miss doses because of the buzzing.

[tavalon]

78. I get similar stuff with Lexapro

Occasionally, my hectic life forces change in routine and I forget, but I remember when the sparklies in my vision start and I get twitches. I run to the bottle then. But those times are hard, because it's a tangible reminder of the necessity of this medication. I'm sure anyone with a chronic illness, like diabetes, could relate. That feeling that you really can't get along without __________. Slightly sad, but then the pluses of having a functional, happy life make up for it.

[Captain Hilts]

18. That's a REALLY good point. I'm with you on that one. nt

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

28. Man. I do that a lot.

Mainly, in the form of a link to a video of the song "Meds" by placebo.

I'll think twice next time a crazy-ass troll drops by.

[mrreowwr_kittty]

51. Thank you. That and variations like "get professional help"

As if mental illness were a) a joke and b) accusing someone of suffering from one is a neat way to invalidate an opinion you disagree with.

I've noticed - and this should come as no surprise - that there are male DUers who make it a habit to suggest that female posters have a mental illness.

[GentryDixon]

11. Good on you for coming out with it.

My husband is clinically depressed, and has been for almost 15 years. Until he finally admitted he had a problem and got help it was hell living under the same roof with him. It is a medical, not mental issue. A chemical imbalance that should not be treated any different than the imbalance I have with my kidney function.

[Sabriel]

93. My SO refuses to seek help.

There was a Paxil period a few years ago, but it was self-administered, and the withdrawal was NOT GOOD...for any of us.

My congratulations to anyone who tries to normalize "mental" illness. I hope one day it's on par with "physical" illness.

[Captain Hilts]

16. Theodore Roosevelt, Winston Churchill, Eleanor Roosevelt SHOULD have been treated for...

depression. They had to bare-knuckle it instead.

You're in good company Sox fan!

[sohndrsmith]

59. don't forget Abraham Lincoln... n/t

[tavalon]

79. And bare-knuckle it doesn't make one stronger,

it just makes life harder.

[Captain Hilts]

96. True. nt

[BlueJessamine]

19. Not only well said, . . .

but said with such grace.

Bravo SoxFan!

[TygrBright]

21. Thank you. I too, am managing depression...

...with medication and occasional CBT therapy. Rather successfully, I might add.

But I truly wish I had back the "lost years" when I did not know what was wrong with me but felt horrible and got nothing accomplished for half of the year every year. When I did not know that my problem was depression because I didn't fit some distorted Hollywood stereotype of the lock-myself-in-my-room-about-to-commit-suicide-all-the-time variety, and did not want to think about being "mentally ill," because that meant being "crazy" and bad and unable to cope with the real world and a boatload of other baggage.

There WERE times, during the lost years, when I contemplated waiting for a 20-degree-below zero night, drinking a fifth of scotch, and wandering outside to find a nice soft snowbank. Fortunately the weather and the acuity never quite coincided. But far too many people suffer and even die needlessly because they don't know that depression is a medical condition, related to brain chemistry, and often yields readily to treatment that has very little downside.

Bravo to you, sir, for being willing to allow your health status to be public property in order to educate the public and advance the well-being of fellow-sufferers.

appreciatively,
Bright

[BrklynLiberal]

22. You are not alone..and in this day and age, you are probably in the majority.

Most of my friends and I are taking some sort of med for depression, and going to some sort of counseling.

Here is a HUGE list of famous people who suffered from depression or manic-deprression-
http://www.geocities.com/coverbridge2k/artsci/famous_people_depression.html

[Captain Hilts]

23. That list misses Eleanor Roosevelt, who, like her uncle, just tried to outrun it...

by not being alone and never sleeping. "Black care can't sit behind a rider whose pace is too fast."

[intaglio]

24. Hi, and welcome from another

My poison is venlafaxine. There are a lot of us out here and we none of us know what others go through - unlike people who are NOT depressive who are so ready to say "I understand, I've felt sad myself ...." or "you'll soon cheer up!"

You and I have a biochemical deficiency; it could have a genetic, environmental or behavioral cause; it is real and can be ameliorated. I have heard that some people have even been cured - Wow!! doesn't help me but lucky them.

Being depressive has advantages: I can focus intently on problems and solve them (as long as they are not my problems); I can be original and creative; I care deeply about other people and have been told I am very empathic.

So, welcome to the small but growing club of admitted depressives; one day we will take over the world, if the psychopaths don't mind.

[agent46]

25. Bravo

I and several other family members have struggled with depression all our lives. It's long past time we shed the medieval stigmas attached to mental health issues.

[ColbertWatcher]

26. Kick and rec. n/t

[lazyriver]

27. I hope your story helps others get the medical help they need.

A younger friend of mine recently started on medication for depression. He went to see a doctor at my urging as I noticed abrupt changes in his behavior and personality last spring that were alarming. I learned later he had struggled with those symptoms privately all through high school and for three years after because he was afraid of being labeled "crazy". Things came to a head and he wasn't able to keep up the front any longer. In that time, he had two false starts in college, quit playing drums and writing music, lost a serious girlfriend, bounced from job to job and was a family loan away from declaring personal bankruptcy. He preferred being thought of as a "fuck up who sucks at life" rather than admit he was actually a brilliant person who needed treatment for a medical condition. He did a lot of self-medicating with alcohol and a few recreational drugs that made matters worse.

Since getting treatment last summer his life has done a complete 180. He's making decent money now at a steady job, started a new band and is writing songs again (damn good ones too), and starts college again in the spring. I drove him to motor vehicle to get his license back a few weeks ago and he said he couldn't believe he waited so long to get help. He said he finally felt like he saw the world in a positive light and it made opportunities visible to him for the first time. I saw a confident young man who was facing the challenges life threw at him without feeling shame.

Here's to hoping those that don't understand can be enlightened so those that need help won't feel bad about seeking it.

Peace,

Bob

[Hekate]

29. Bravo. It runs in my family. Wellbutrin has made a big difference in my life...

... although a year ago I had a nightmarish 3 months when Blue Cross decided that generic would do (it made things infinitely worse, actually).

When I finally put 2 and 2 together about my Mom's side of the family -- and my own siblings -- I realized that many if not most had a chemical imbalance, and that the alcoholics were probably self-medicating. Social anxiety disorder, agoraphobia, and depression can be crippling if unrecognized and untreated. My Mom's attitude was that "they" should just pick themselves up by their socks -- but you know, she could have used a course of treatment herself, instead of turning into such a battleaxe before the end.

Good for you for speaking out. In this day and age I am aghast that any political opponent could use anti-depressants as ammunition in a whispering campaign.

Hekate

[madmom]

31. BRAVO sir..well said!

:applause:

[blondeatlast]

32. It's time for Americans to grow up. Bravo, Peter and thank you from one

wo's been there herself.

I'm fortunately no longer in need of the meds but when I did, they kept me a responsible mom, taxpayer, and school volunteer. Without them I would have acheived nothing or worse.

My regards to you.

[childslibrarian]

33. Thanks for posting

Depression runs in my family, and like you, we are all being treated. And SNRI's are a wonderful thing. Keep up the good fight.

[Ken Burch]

34. It took some stones to write this, Peter.

Good luck to you.

[pacalo]

35. I wish everyone were as intelligent & differentiative about mental illness as you are. Thank you.

:toast:

[Ken Burch]

36. For those who don't know, the correct term for what used to be referred to as "manic depression"

is now "bipolar disorder", and in most cases it is easily treatable by very mild medication.

Granted, Peter is not bipolar, but it seemed a good moment to put that out there since the subject was raised by this.

[SoxFan]

52. Bipolar Type I, to be more specific

Bipolar Type II is more akin to conventional depression, only with some cyclical aspects to mood levels. It's often hard to distinguish between Bipolar II and clinical depression with co-existing anxiety disorder or ADHD, since the symptoms are often so similar. Sometimes, it means a trial-and-error process using antidepressants (Effexor, Paxil, Prozac), mood stabilizers (Abilify, Lithium, Depakote), and "pay some fucking attention" pills like Ritalin/Concerta or Adderall to find a good therapeutic mix.

[Ken Burch]

53. Thanks for the further elaboration. Full disclosure

I use Effexor myself for depression(works best for me).

If you can "come out" on this, so can I.

[BelgianMadCow]

84. what you write is frighteningly close to my condition

The difference between Type II and unipolar + anxiety disorder...

After 15 undiagnosed years (being at -2 on a -3 - +3 scale 95% of the time) and the strangest CV, Effexor caused "relaxation" so I got into a high (but not as in Type I - still coherent). The therapists say that alone is proof of bipolar...

But after 15 years it's so hard to define what is caused by neurological conditions and what is a consequence of the psychological disorders you develop to cope...

Meanwhile, I'm on a different antidepressant, Nortrilen, and Lampibol (lamotrigine) as a mood stabiliser. After the high came a tremendous low, then another high but my family didn't say we don't recognize you, now a low that isn't quite as low...

You can only hope - finding the correct mix isn't easy. And effexor made me sweat incredibly and killed sex. I had all the side effects but not the intended tehrapeutical...the first doc also forgot to measure blood levels. Funny, that.

Congrats on you for taking matters in your own hands.


:hug: and thanks for your OP.

on edit: these things are a mixture of biology, environment and psychology - relying on meds solely I would not advise.

[depakid]

86. "Bipolar Type II is more akin to conventional depression"

Except that Bipolat II often manifests as refractory depression- in other words its more persistent persistent and difficult to treat with pharmaceuticals and talk therapies (such as cognitive behavioral therapy).

[SoxFan]

101. Good point

[tavalon]

80. What mild medication would you be talking about?

I've watched second hand four friends face medications that were worse than the disease. One of them still takes the meds and she isn't really human, more zombie. The other three decided to go bareback with backup meds for flare ups. While I understand the kindling theory and therefore worry greatly about their choice, having seen what they went through with Lithium through Zyprexa, I can't say I blame them.

I feel so lucky to have Major Depressive or unipolar or whatever they're calling it these days, because I can take a medication that allows me to live a happy, non-zombie life. I traded in my sex drive, and I wish I didn't have to, but at least that's all I had to give. Those friends of mine give so much more and don't even get much in return.

[Ken Burch]

116. Well, even though the medications that are used to treat bipolar disorders I and II

(which I don't have all the info on)can be mild, there is still the problem of psychiatrists overmedicating their clients or of interactions between those medications and others the client might be taking.

Plus, people seeking treatment for bipolar disorder in the public health system or in community clinics face the problem of being prescribed by psychiatrists who are overbooked, not conversant with the latest developments in treatment(they've discovered that less and less medication is needed, compared to the "Cuckoo's Nest" era) or not of the highest professional quality.

I'm sorry to have heard how it's gone with your friends. That's not an unusual story.

[asdjrocky]

37. I know what it is to suffer, as does my daughter.

Thank you for your courage.

[JDPriestly]

38. Some (maybe even many) of the nicest people, people with amazing

integrity, are suffering or have suffered from severe depression. Depression does not disqualify you for public office. I believe that Abraham Lincoln was described as "melancholy."

Googling Lincoln and melancholy, I found this:

Can the generally disappointing crop of national leaders today be attributed to the Prozac Generation's addiction to cheeriness? That is one strain of thought in Joshua Wolf Shenk's book, which argues that Abraham Lincoln's lifelong struggle with depression was responsible for his becoming one of America's greatest presidents.
Skip to next paragraph
Getty Images

LINCOLN'S MELANCHOLY
How Depression Challenged a President and Fueled His Greatness.
By Joshua Wolf Shenk.
350 pp. Houghton Mifflin Company. $25.

The idea that suffering fuels creativity and wisdom is an old one, but in a country where 25 million people take antidepressants, it has its limits. The emotionally suffering artist stokes our romantic imagination; the emotionally suffering politician evokes panic. Who wants to think about Eeyore nose to nose with bin Laden?

But depression, Shenk says, has gotten bad press. This is not a contrarian's gimmick; he has firsthand knowledge. In previous writings about his own depression, Shenk credited it with shaping his personality. That he would then conclude the same about his hero should not be all that surprising.

. . . . http://www.nytimes.com/2005/10/23/books/review/23cohen.html

Here is the website on the book and its author:

Lincoln’s Melancholy tells — for the first time — the full story of Lincoln’s lifelong depression, how he managed it, and how it came to fuel his epic work. Drawing on seven years of research, Joshua Wolf Shenk shows how the science and literature on depression offer insight into Lincoln’s remarkable journey, and how Lincoln’s story challenges and enriches our understanding of depression.

Published by Houghton Mifflin, the book has been called among the best of 2005 by The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and the Abraham Lincoln Institute. Shenk has also been honored for his work by the National Mental Health Association and the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill in New York City.

We hope you spend some time on the site. If you want to meet Shenk in person, check his schedule for here, or email him to inquire about booking an event for your group.

http://www.lincolnsmelancholy.com/

[cbc5g]

39. I completely agree it's a medical condition, just don't stay on them forever

They can and DO cause impotance and other sexual dysfunctions as well as a lot of weight gain. You'll lose the weight when you come off, but the impotance and sexual dysfunction that starts when you quit SSRI's can last years. And it's not something that only happens to a few people. And when you come off, make sure you come off of it over a year, not weeks like doctors say or you are setting yourself up for a world of hurt. They are very powerful and dangerous drugs, but they do work.

[Vattel]

42. Are there any studies that support what you are claiming?

If not, then you are probably basing your opinion on personal experience and/or personal anecdotes and so what you are saying is highloy suspect.

[cbc5g]

50. If you think it's just me or it's just a joke then you are wrong

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Post-SSRI_sexual_dysfunction

"While sexual dysfunction can be fairly common while taking SSRIs, the problem of persistent dysfunction after discontinuation does not appear to be as frequent, or at least not as well-known or researched. However, emerging evidence suggests that such persistence may in fact be fairly common and has been heretofore overlooked for a variety of reasons<6>."


Do a quick youtube search for SSRI withdrawal if you think I'm exaggerating that too. There are a lot of things that most doctors do not know about SSRI's. Do they work? Yes they work. Do they come with costs? Yes they come with costs.

Most people who go on them will find out sooner or later what those costs are. Unfortunately for many, they can't quit the drugs because the side effects are so strong when coming off.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ssri_discontinuation_syndrome

[Vattel]

60. thanks for the links

I will withhold judgment until the evidence does more than "suggest" that persistent dysfunction "may" be "fairly common." I recognize that there are risks in taking SSRIs, but I'm not convinced that they always or even in most cases have long-term costs.

[TrogL]

71. Oh, let's see

destroyed my teeth

permanently affected the way I orgasm (ie. sexual dysfunction)

tardive dyskenesia

jaw clenching

sleep problems

shakes

[tavalon]

82. I risk my life if I don't take my meds

Yes, I have no libido (though I can orgasm without difficulty. I know TMI). Me and my partners work around that. No libido with the pills, die without. Easy choice.

[tavalon]

81. That's not very accurate information

If possible, coming off of antidepressants in under a year can be a good idea, but for many, our set point is severely depressed and when we come off of our meds, we go back to set point, rather rapidly. I'm a lifer. I'm on my med and possibly other meds if this one stops working, for the rest of my life. Many others face that as well and being told scare stories that don't have a whole lot of credibility doesn't help. I think you are trying to come from a helping place, but I'm not sure you're actually helping.

[Generic Other]

40. I am going to have a really hard time keeping all your names straight

Nice to meet you Mr. Sullivan. How could any thinking person not be depressed by the state of the modern world?

[tavalon]

83. That's actually a very interesting question

I wonder if the increase in depression is related to crowded, congested city living (rats have depression in those situations) or if it could have a chemical basis as we are being bombarded by chemical that we weren't being bombarded with just a century or two ago.

BTW, we met in real life a time or two. I believe it was at and around Andy's Memorial. I'm Terri. I've been on various antidepressants for over 15 years, but on Lexapro specifically for the last 7-8 years. I'm very lucky - it doesn't cut off my highs or my lows, I just feel normal.

The last eight years would have made anyone furious and I am, I'm just glad I don't have to also deal with faulty synapses and screwed up brain chemistry.

[Generic Other]

87. Hi Terri...yes Andy's Memorial...a sad time for us all

Glad to hear you survived the past few years. The toll on our wellbeing was no doubt heavy! I pretty much acknowledge I lost it. Slowly peeking out of my hiding place again now that Bush is gone. Hard to believe it may be safe to emerge into the light.

I think I have PTSD as result of 8 years of Bush.

[tavalon]

89. I think most of us who were paying attention have some

I'm unfortunately suffering from a bout of full blown PTSD from something that just happened in my life. This last 6 weeks has been a frightening hell for me and mine. I'm starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel and beginning to understand what the unhealed part of me is, that left me so vulnerable to this sneak attack. In a weird way, though, it made waiting for the inauguration a snap - I spent most of the time with my head under the covers crying.

[usregimechange]

41. well said

[Barack_America]

43. This was courageous.

Thank you.

:hug:

[varelse]

44. K&R

Depression is a medical condition, not a character flaw, and it is time that it be treated as such.

Yes, it is past time for us, the human race, to grow up and stop treating illness, disease, or misfortune of *any* kind as a character flaw.

[.... callchet ....]

45. Fight all discrimination.

All to many people think that discrimination is limited to those categories that are defined and made illegal by law.

We need to make all discrimination illegal.

[Control-Z]

46. A member of the club.

This thread is a gift to so many who suffer in silence. Bookmarking to read in the future when the need for reassurance hits.

[jzodda]

47. Well written and 100% on target

As somebody who also struggles with this from time to time I agree its time to stop treating this as more a character flaw or a choice rather then a treatable medical condition. We have come a long way but there is a long way to go.

Thanks for writing this

[JerseygirlCT]

48. You're absolutely right. The stigma has to end -

people's lives are depending on it.

[myrna minx]

56. This is why Senator Wellstone was a champion for mental health parity.

Like you said, no one would be ashamed by admitting they had to get corrective lenses or allergy medicine, so mental health should be treated as a medical condition and not some sort of aberration. Thank you for coming forward. Perhaps you can take up Wellstone's call.

[firedupdem]

57. K & R

Beautiful Post....Thank You.

[Gormy Cuss]

58. Great post, Sully. n/t

[lightningandsnow]

61. Thank you so much for posting this.

I have an anxiety disorder, myself.

The stigma needs to stop.

[bonito]

62. You are considered healthy

It is those that do not recognize it that need help, but it would take someone with experience to show the way.
Guess what, the more you learn the tougher it gets, but LOL life is like "the endless summer" challenging if YOU will ;-)

[DrZeeLit]

64. When my father died, I was a teacher. To cope with grief, I went into therapy. My principal told

me.... and I quote:

"NEVER tell anyone you went to therapy." She meant "don't tell the kids."

My face defined the word "incredulous," as I gazed at her, a woman I admired and considered a friend and mentor.

"I just gave 120 students permission to get help if they're hurting." I considered my open approach a matter of... "Healthy people get help."

I still battle depression and I've been off and on medication. I'm never completely sure medication is the way, but that probably has more basis in my yankee, do-it-yourself upbringing -- which is why I do like therapy. I'm not in therapy now, but the feeling that I'm working on myself is ongoing.

I am proud that you wrote this piece, Peter Sullivan or SoxFan -- does not matter.
Remember -- you just gave HOPE to many people -- young and old.
Healthy people get help.

[think4yourself]

65. You have my vote!

Thank you for sharing that with us.
I too struggle with manic-depression (read William Styron's book. He says Bipolar is a sterile, PC term that doesn't sum it up correctly). Right now I'm on Wellbutrin, Zoloft, Provigil, Lamictal and Risperdal. I'm functioning well and making it to work and enjoying life pretty much.
Anyone who believes Prozac is a "Happy Pill' that makes everything wonderful is off THEIR damn rocker.

Any non-sufferers who jokingly use Obsessive Compulsive in conversation needs to STFU.

And anyone who spreads whisper campaigns about you like this needs to get their ass to a library and read some fucking books about this.

Thank you so much for being honest and keeping the dialogue going. You've done your community a service with sharing this.


Peace.

[jwirr]

66. About half of my family has suffered from depression at one time

or another. It has helped that we confide in and help each other. In most of the cases we can even forgo the use of medications because we guide each other through episodes. I agree with you this has to stop and it should begin with us. In our case we have been open with out friends and fellow workers and usually in the end we have been accepted. The one exception is my younger brother who has more or less built his own world of friend and family. He lives on an acreage and uses the work in the garden etc. to help him through the bad times. As he has gotten older he has learned how to deal with the down periods.

Take care.

[MsRedacted]

67. I did a google. Boy, your guys there have a problem with basic decency & civility.

Sounds like a few of them need to be in the nut house, not you.

I can't believe people behave that way.

[Juche]

68. Very adult of you

As someone who has also suffered from severe neurological illnesses I know where you are coming from. I even wrote on the change.gov website that there should be mandatory mental health screening of all public figures the same way we have HIV screening.

Sadly, most people aren't screened for neurological illnesses and when they are screened, it is so we know who to discriminate against (who to deny jobs to, who to deny security clearances to, etc). One of the ways we fight stigma against HIV is by having all public figures publically take an HIV test. I think if mental health testing was mandatory to work for government and was done with the intent of fighting stigma and getting people help (and not on knowing who to discriminate against, which is what we currently use it for), that would help fight this stigma. I seriously doubt it'll happen within 20 years, but I submitted my idea that if public figures (Clinton, Obama) are willing to take HIV tests in public to fight stigma, they should do the same for mental health screening. But my hopes are low on that front.

Imagine if most people never got HIV tested and had to deal with the illness w/o medical (despite HIV being treatable) help and when people were HIV tested, it was mostly done by employers so they knew who they shouldn't hire and/or shouldn't promote. That is the current state with mental health testing.

The sad part is that I once read that with medical treatment, social treatment and nutritional treatment neurological illnesses are more successfully treated than heart disease. Instead we throw the mentally ill into prison and onto the streets despite having the medical technology to be able to help people.

[joeunderdog]

69. I work for the Dept of Mental Health, probably in your area.

I have worked with clients who have gone from Wall St to the YMCA rooming house. From being a well-known popular musician to the State Hospital. From being the son of a founder of a now-billion dollar company to homelessness. Many of these people have been able to return to mainstream functioning with the help of the right medication. It's possible to be asymptomatic even with Schizophrenia with today's medication.

Look at it this way--if we all were required to disclose the contents of our medicine cabinet, the taboo would be instantly gone. Prosac remains the #1 med in the US.

My advice to the whisperers: N E V E R take your health for granted. It could happen to you.

[mmonk]

72. Yes, this nation needs to grow up.

[Skittles]

73. Thank you Mr. Sullivan

as the daughter of a suicide, I know all too well that depression is a medical condition.

[Cronopio]

74. Right on, Peter! An enthusiastic K&R for your courageous post. nt

[democrank]

75. In solidarity....

Thank you for posting this.

[tavalon]

76. Exactly!

Why is it that when the illness occurs in the brain (one of the most complex organs of our bodies), it becomes a social stigma. Nobody gives a damn that I have Celiac Sprue, in fact, they often go to great lengths to accommodate me, since it's an illness, not a morals issue. But if many knew that I am going to be on a antidepressant for the rest of my life, they would be shocked. They would say things like, "you seem so normal!" (I am, as long as I stay on my medication!) when what they really mean is that I seemed "like them" (I do, as long as I stay on my medication) but that I'm actually a deviant, deranged individual, not suitable to show in public.

It frickin' kills me to see people wrap such shame around a disease. My synapses don't work quite like everyone else's. Yours don't either. So what?! We've gotten over playing the morality game around so many other diseases (remember how people tried to treat AIDS patients like Lepers, and remember the Lepers before them?), why is it that we continue to moralize around mental illness?

I am a nurse, I am a mother, I live a full, harried, hectic and mostly happy life. And every single day, I take those pills because without them, all the aforementioned things go away. I have the mental equivalent of a diabetic coma without my meds. With them, I really am just like everyone else, except that I do not judge others about their mental differences/illnesses.


Edited: for spelling

[dddem]

85. I would respectfully disagree with just one point of your post

"Mental health is no different than any other area of health care."
The treatment of mental illness in this country is deplorable. My mother is bi-polar (since she was 15 years old)and I cant tell you how many times I have fought with doctors and emergency room personell to get her the correct help. Thank God dhe has good insurance. I can't imagine what life must be like for someone with her illness and no insurance.
Peace.

[Dystopian]

88. KandR. Thank you.

Thank you, Peter. I admire your courage.

My life has been interrupted with bouts of depression, and I have been saved by medication. I am in a dire financial plight because I could not receive disability compensation when my MD ordered a leave of absence at the end of the school year. I usually survive on unemployment during the summer.

My insurance co. informed me that I could not collect because 'mental illness' was not covered. Because I was on a medical leave of absence, I could not collect unemployment. I survived on my home equity loan which was meant for home renovation. I had to refinance again, and my mortgage doubled.

Not only is it a stigma, but the insurance companies are also at fault. The entire situation only brought on deeper depression, and a feeling of no way out. I just stopped taking Lexapro, and am hoping that things will get better.
It appears that my illness is genetic..My mother and her siblings all suffered from depression and bipolar disorders.
Back in those days, there was one place to go...the state hospital. I had a scary childhood.
Thank you for giving me a place to write about my personal experience with depression.

As a public figure/elected official, you have done a great service beyond the call of duty.
Heartfelt thanks for fighting the good fight...in the political arena and in life.
You are one more person with proof that an having a treatable illness does not hinder what one can accomplish.
Best wishes to you...


peace~

[Soylent Brice]

90. well said, and a big K&R from me

depression sufferer here as well. stop seeking help and treatment 10 yrs ago. i manage.

thank you for your candor.

[pipi_k]

92. Long time fellow depression sufferer here

It's been an ongoing thing for decades. My therapist thinks I've probably been depressed since childhood. She may be right. Every so often it gets really bad and that's when the Hell starts.

I also have panic and anxiety disorders and agoraphobia.

People generally just don't understand those those things. They believe it's something you can just "get over"...or that you shouldn't have in the first place "because you're an intelligent person and you know there's nothing to be depressed about/afraid of".

It's not a matter of intelligence or lack of willpower. In fact, there are days when only the will to keep living and hoping for better days keeps a great many of us going on in spite of the Hell. People who suffer from this stuff aren't weak at all...we're actually very strong and we keep getting up day after day when it would be easier not to.

Anyway, I feel your pain, Peter...I really do.

[Blaze Diem]

97. Big Kudos & K&R.. Utreated Depression can be a deadly as untreated cancer or heart conditions

Time to speak out and declare this disease for what it is. Not a character flaw but an illness. Like all others.
Bless your courage to state it as such, and I wish you great success.
Blaze

[samsingh]

98. Good for you. Please take care of yourself and let the treatments work.

anyone who attacks someone for this type of condition is ignorant

[Jack Rabbit]

99. I am being treated for major depression

And I, too, feel it's time to talk about it and have on these forums here and there.

What I discover is there are many, many people who have this disease or are one who has.

Thank you for your post.

[Pryderi]

100. Kudos on your "coming out". However, I hope you're not using your condition to excuse your behavior

I was researching what was going on up in your area because I wanted to know what was going on. You used to have a blog called, "The Truth About Joe Kelly Levasseur”, which you accused him of consorting with an accused felon. Can you give some more background? I found this in google cache.

Saturday, January 17, 2009
Joe Kelly Levasseur has accused felon as his sidekick
Joe Kelly Levasseur's newest sidekick is a man named Jonathan Melle. Melle is a native of Pittsfield, Mass who moved to Manchester three years ago.

Melle is facing trial in Hillsborough County Superior Court for allegedly attempting to run down a Manchester police officer. Melle allegedly refused to obey an officer's orders and drove through a barricade during an Easter Seals fundraising walk.

The accused felon has high praise for Joe Kelly Levasseur:

"I AM PROUD TO CALL JOE KELLY LEVASSEUR MY FRIEND!"
================
http://74.125.95.132/search?q=cache:KdENTsgdu3cJ:joekellylevasseur.blogspot.com/+The+Truth+About+Joe+Kelly+Levasseur&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=1&gl=us&client=firefox-a

[SoxFan]

102. I resent that

Frankly, I resent that you would say this. In effect, you are siding with a right-wing character assassin who has a decade-long record of smearing Democratic activists and elected officials.

You haven't heard about the death threat, Levasseur's crazy emails, and Melle's track record of public misbehavior, have you?

Jonathan Melle is facing felony charges in Hillsborough County Superior Court-Northern Division.

Melle is charged with Simple Assault, Resisting Arrest, Disobeying A Law Enforcement Officer, and other charges. The indictments are on file at the courthouse in Manchester, and are part of the public record.

Melle assists Levasseur in the production of his cable television show. He also has distributed weird, rambling flyers produced by Levasseur that attack me, city Parking Division director brandy Stanley, and other local officials and residents.

Melle left these flyers on my front door and on my car in the middle of the night, at Levasseur's direction.

On numerous occasions, Melle has accosted me in public, shouting at me and making off-the-wall allegations (e.g., my proposal for a fraud reporting web site and hotline was "a Nazi plan").

Enough about Melle. Levasseur has the real track record.

He is a former, one-term alderman. He was twice the GOP nominee for state senate, losing both times, and has also lost races for alderman at large and his old ward seat. He has stated on multiple occasions that he is running for alderman in 2009, and is willing to do anything-including engaging in character assassination-to win the seat.

Levasseur has accused my best friend of homicide (yes, really), made demeaning slurs against my wife (her only political involvement in recent years has been some work for Obama), and sent me dozens of emails that run from rambling to threatening.

Oh, and on Thanksgiving Day, a post appered on a local board, which threatened to "save (me the trouble" of killing myself by "splattering" me down the street in front of my office. Coincidentally, Levasseur had sent me several emails directing my attention to posts made by the same person who posted this death threat.

But if you want to excuse the right wing politics of personal destruction, that's your choice.

[sohndrsmith]

104. I do to - for you - or with you - or behind you. That made me mad. sorry. n/t

[Pryderi]

109. Thank you for filling me in on the situation. I apologize for my poorly worded inquiry.

[SoxFan]

111. Not a problem

The press hasn't been terribly forthcoming about the whole situation, so a lot of facts aren't available via Teh Googles.

[sohndrsmith]

113. Thanks for posting this (I know it's not directed for me, but thanks just the same). :)

It's hard to be taken to task like you were and not staying defensive. Much appreciated.

[sohndrsmith]

103. Even if you decided to "research" what was going on, and even

you may have come to have the opinions you do... I cannot for the life of me figure out why you would deliberately post your disgruntledness in this particular thread, and I am even more confused that you would somehow choose to come to the conclusion that you suspect the heartfelt words being spoken here are opportunistic or false for some other agenda.

Regardless of your opinions - I'm amazed that you deliberately, publicly post something for no other reason but to hurt someone else. Especially in a less-than casual thread such as this. You're free to think whatever you want - but when you say it out loud it carries more responsibility and sometimes saying something mean is not the best choice. Think it all you want - but it's not very kind to bring it into a discussion when it doesn't belong. Some threads are combative an sparks fly - that's different.

I don't usually get this mad and say it in a post, but your stunningly oblivious to the conversation and tenderness and exchange (and disagreement) here because you wanted to say something mean.

I don't like that you did that and I hope you don't do it again.

Thanks.

[Locrian]

105. agreed - uncalled for.

Even if you decided to "research" what was going on, and even
Posted by sohndrsmith


you may have come to have the opinions you do... I cannot for the life of me figure out why you would deliberately post your disgruntledness in this particular thread, and I am even more confused that you would somehow choose to come to the conclusion that you suspect the heartfelt words being spoken here are opportunistic or false for some other agenda.

Totally agree. Completely uncalled for and a hijack / mugging of the OP.

[SoxFan]

107. Hey, we all know that admitting to being "nuts" is a HUGE political plus!

:eyes:

[sohndrsmith]

114. nothing wrong with your sardonic wit! : ) n/t

[Pryderi]

108. I merely asked a question about the situation. The only "disgruntledness"here is what has

been directed at me.

[sohndrsmith]

112. If all you were doing was merely asking a question, no one would

have a problem with that (i don't think), and we'd all be continuing the conversation. You made a hurtful accusation in your first post in this thread, so your disregard for the effect your making a personal attack on someone's health - someone that many of us are still appreciating and absorbing the fact that he had the courage to honestly share what is so often hidden in shame because we're told we're defective or "it's all in our head" - and you burst in with the sort of dismissive, demeaning tone that illustrates exactly what is wrong with this picture!

Listen - I am not saying you do or do not have a legitimate argument over something with someone else or not. That's not relevant - in what I and others reacted to - that's between the two of you apparently and you might have more success dealing with it in a personal venue... There's nothing wrong with disagreeing and challenging someone you disagree with. This site wouldn't exist if we all agreed on everything.

I'm sorry - I don't generally lash out at people, but you made me mad and I was going to call you out on it. I apologize for being unfriendly, but you deserved it, don't you think?

I hope you work things out on the personal issue, and I hope I don't ever light into you again. It hasn't been pleasant and I don't like it. But I'll do it again if I have to! : ) - so let's just avoid all that... 'kay?

peace... onto the next.

[Kajsa]

106. Thank you, Peter, for speaking out against

the bigotry against those who have
medical conditions such as depression.

In my extended family,( including my ex-husband)
we have members who suffer from depression,
alcoholism, and schizophrenia.

The ignorance some have of these illnesses and the stigma they attach to
it is astounding, considering we live in year 2009, not 1680.

Thank you for speaking up and speaking out for many.

:) :pals:

[Richd506]

110. right on man! right on!

I myself suffer from a little depression so I know exactly what you mean when you talk about how disrespectful people can be about it. I am SOOOOO sick of the whole 'Emo' label that they use sometimes!

[Prophet 451]

115. Well said

I am currently being treated for what is known in your country as Major Depressive Disorder. I know the way people look at you, the way they whisper about you when they think you can't hear them. Likewise, I know the unstated but always present implication that our illness is somehow, our fault. That we should just "pull our socks up" and "snap out of it".

You have my sympathies, sir, and my admiration.

[naaman fletcher]

117. good for you

This will probably help you, as everyone who has dealt with depression will vote for you next time you run for election.

[Cabcere]

118. K&R.

:applause: I was diagnosed with clinical depression at age sixteen, and have been fighting the stigma ever since. Good on you for helping to get the story straight. :thumbsup: