One of my daily rituals is to read the day’s tweets, sort of like a modern day reading of the newspaper. Most of the time they reek of the trivial, hilarious and angsty spirit that occupies most people our age.
Nonetheless, one of them stuck out to me, “Sometimes the person who tries to keep everyone happy is the most lonely person.”
The tweet’s somber tone is off-putting, but is also a poignant reminder of a problem plaguing the United States today: depression.
While some might scoff at the subject, it is never too much to offer a reminder that we need to be giving the disorder our full attention.
After all, Bloomberg of July 25, 2011 reported on a global study of the problematic psychological disorder. “The study, sponsored by the World Health Organization, found that 21 percent of people in France and 19.2 percent of people in the U.S. reported having an extended period of depression within their lifetime.” It notes
that the two rates were the highest in the world.
These statistics alone mean something is awry in the United States. There is something to be said that we are the wealthiest country in the world yet are still marked by this astounding depression rate.
The Global Times of July 27, 2011 asserts that wealthier countries generally have higher rates of depression
because they have more stressful environments and put a social emphasis on luxury needs. It seems to imply that putting a huge importance on the obtainment of objects sets us up to be disappointed with our lives. This certainly signals that we as individuals need to assess what we value and how those values relate to our happiness with our lives.
Of course, I’m not in anyway implying that depression is simply a case of mixed up priorities. Nonetheless, the correlation between wealth and depression provides compelling implications and beginnings for important conversation.
It’s obviously important we understand precisely what depression is. Undoubtedly, we’ve all heard of the disorder. WebMD – every pedestrian doctor’s favorite companion – asserts, “When feelings of intense sadness – including feeling helpless, hopeless and worthless – last for days to weeks and keep you from functioning normally, your depression may be something more than sadness.”
Once again, while it’s easy to scoff at, simply given the extreme possibility for suicide, depression should be something we are conscious of. At the individual level, there are some extremely important resources with which every one should be acquainted.
WebMD is once again useful in offering an array of resources for someone who is interested in depression. At their website, www.webmd.com/depression/guide/depression-resources, one can find information from the most reputable medical professional organizations in the world like the American Psychiatric Association and the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance.
Additionally, on EMU’s own campus we have CAPS, which stands for Counseling and Psychological Services. They provide a range of services that anyone with depression would certainly find useful. If you know someone who could benefit from these resources, it would be wise to notify them of these services. The old adage of “Better safe than sorry,” does little to capture the urgency surrounding the possible outcomes one with depression could undergo.
Every week our opinion columns are filled with problems plaguing society. Be it an ineffective education system or crumbling infrastructure, we have no excuse to overlook ourselves, especially our mental health.
Inevitably, I’ll read my tweets and see both inspirational and downtrodden messages. I can’t help but hope that I’ll see this tweet from my CNN Breaking News, “Depression rates down in the U.S.”
