Even though daylight hours are lengthening, Valley residents are still under the weighted shroud of winter weather. Money is tight. Feelings of loneliness take over. The season drags on and depression settles in like a wet, heavy wool blanket.
Reasons for depression are infinite and wintertime exacerbates pre-existing problems. Depression comes in many forms and can be temporary or lifetime. Symptoms can creep in slowly or show up like a mugger in a New York City alley. Depression steals normalcy from everyday life, and many folks are left not knowing what to do or where to turn for help. Help is out there, but seeking it can be the most difficult hurdle.
Depression symptoms may include sadness, anxiety, irritability, loss of energy, uncontrollable crying, change in appetite causing weight loss or gain, increased need for sleep, difficulty making decisions, and thoughts of death or suicide.
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a severe anxiety disorder that can develop after exposure to any event which results in psychological trauma. The term was coined in the mid 1970s with soldiers returning from Vietnam and suffering flashbacks and nightmares.
Personnel at the Custer County Medical Center or the school will refer people with problems to West Central Mental Health Center, headquartered in Canon City and serving the residents of Custer, Fremont, Chaffee and Lake counties. The phone number is 275-2351. It is a 24-hour professional mental health emergency service for anybody experiencing a mental health emergency such as feeling out of control, behaving in a dangerous way including suicide or homicide, unable to tell the difference between reality and fantasy or suffering from intense pain from depression or anxiety.
Desiree Lipka is a licensed clinical social worker and coordinator at West Central Mental Health center in Canon City. At the Canon City office and at the Custer County Medical Clinic West Central offers help to people suffering from depression. Lipka comes to Westcliffe on Fridays and sees approximately 25 patients at the facility here although West Central sees many Custerites at the Canon City office.
Lipka said at least a two week period of sadness differentiates symptoms of clinical depression from just moodiness or the blues. “People predisposed to mood disorders are more pronounced in winter,” said Lipka. Reasons for depression are less sunshine, less activity and increased eating which causes low energy. She suggests getting outside, getting some sunshine and increasing socialization.
Kathryn Kuisle is a Jungian analyst who visits the area once or twice a month from Colorado Springs. Her phone number is 719/527-0622. She said depression is the most common symptom that people come in with. “This time of year, people get depressed.” Mild depression can be economic, relationship or stress. People are snow bound or housebound and anything gets emphasized. Some tools are regular exercise, writing, talking, diet and sleep. Go someplace where there are other people. It doesn’t require interaction, but is less isolated. Having something to look forward to helps. If people have someone they trust to talk to and just talk a little, what is troubling them usually comes around. “We ignore the feelings or the depth – we intellectualize it,” said Kuisle. When it affects their lives, when they can’t get out of bed, act crabby, snappy, have suicidal thoughts; people should know there is help.
Kuisle suggested, “Look up to the mountains or up to the sky. Even that motion of lifting the eyes, there’s something in the brain that opens up our world, looking bigger than our own little world …looking beyond here to somewhere distant.”
Custer County Sheriff Fred Jobe said, “It seems like in wintertime we get more calls for depression and suicide, and domestic situations go up.” Call it cabin fever. Sometimes relatives call with concerns about someone living here. The sheriff or a deputy will go out and talk to them and see what they might need. If they do say they’re having suicidal thoughts, they can take them to the hospital. “You can’t get too complacent,” said Jobe. It’s a cry for help. The sheriff’s office number is 783-2270.
Christina MacLeod is an acupuncturist and herbalist. She offers balancing acupuncture, custom flower essence blends and herbs and lifestyle counseling for addictive and self-defeating behavior. As far as being depressed in winter, MacLeod explained that the pituitary gland is the physical responder to the amount of seasonal light. It is a totally subconscious process responsible for mood changes, need for sleep, animal fur growth and shedding. All sentient beings respond to light or lack of it. People don’t go outside enough in the winter, she said. Those who take time in nature or have spiritual practice don’t suffer so much. Incidents of depression are more related to personal circumstances. Don’t become isolated, said MacLeod. One seasonal focus is an inclination to turn inward. That is uncomfortable for many people who don’t know what to do with what they might discover, so they resist or deny their inner being – thus depression can arise. MacLeod’s number is 783-0465.
Sorai Stuart is a doctor of naturopathy. Depression, sadness or despondency is always related to relationships or health, job and food, said Stuart. Depression can occur because of an improper diet. Stuart relies on mineral testing hair analysis to look for imbalances due to diet. When minerals are out of balance, problems can crop up, she said.
A study from the British Journal of Psychiatry reported that people who ate fish, fruits and vegetables reduced chances of suffering from depression. Conversely, a diet of processed meats, sweets, fried foods and high fat dairy products seemed to be “deleterious for depression.” The study pointed to an association between diet and depression.
Lorraine Silva works at Custer County’s Veteran Service Office at the Hanssen Haus resource center. She has had two males recently who were suicidal and one female who was having a difficult time. With these economically hard times, people are relying more on the Veteran’s Administration for assistance. The local American Legion post has a fund established for helping veterans in need. Silva said veterans are typically very proud, and when they’re down and out, it can be a difficult situation to address. The Hanssen Haus telephone number is 783-9470.
Some victims cling to their depression like an old friend while others do so like an old nemesis. “Better the devil you know than the devil you don’t,” goes the old saying. But that doesn’t have to be the end of it. There is help available and calling someone can be the first step toward a better tomorrow.
For local emergencies, dial 911. The number for the National Suicide Prevention Hotline is 800/273-8255.
– Jacque Keller