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Left untreated, depression can erode family foundations
By Lake County ADAMHS Board
 If someone told you that only half the people who have diabetes or heart disease were getting treatment for those conditions, you’d be shocked, right?
Is it equally alarming to discover that only half of Americans with major depression aren’t getting treatment? It should be. Because left untreated, depressive illness can ruin lives, derail careers, and wreck families. Sometimes it can even be fatal.
A recent study underscores what many mental health professionals have long understood all too well – that only about 50% of those who need treatment for depression are getting it. That’s a frightening statistic on a number of fronts according to Kim Fraser, Executive Director of the Lake County Alcohol, Drug Addiction and Mental Health Services (ADAMHS) Board. “It’s unwise and dangerous to not treat major depression,” she says. “This study verifies that far too many people don’t understand that depression is a serious illness,
don’t recognize the symptoms, or don’t know where to turn for help.”
Established by Ohio Statute, the ADAMHS Board is responsible for planning, funding and evaluating Lake County’s network of mental health and recovery services. Those services are delivered through a network of community-based agencies – Crossroads, Neighboring, Signature Health, Pathways, and others.
“The bad news is that untreated depression can be truly debilitating,” Fraser says. “The good news is that it’s a very treatable illness, and that there are very solid resources available here in Lake County for people struggling with depression.”
Depression hurts families – not just individuals.
When a parent suffers from untreated depression, impacts to the family can be painful and intense. “One of the differences between depression and many other illnesses is that depression symptoms hit us at our core self,” says Dr. Farid Sabet, Chief Clinical Officer for the ADAMHS Board. “Depression can change your personality – make you less appealing to be around, less loving toward your family, less effective at your job. So people with this illness can find their marriages coming apart, their relationships with their kids unraveling, their careers suffering.”
It can be an especially tough illness on spouses, adds Sabet. “Self-blame can become an issue. It must be my fault that he’s this sad or angry all the time. So now we have a depressed husband plus a wife who’s dealing with a nasty combination of frustration, confusion and guilt. There’s no doubt that depressive illness can drive a wedge into even the sturdiest marriage.”
Why does depression start?
The list of factors that can contribute to the onset of depression is long and diverse. Genetics can certainly play a role. But so too can things like car accidents, medications, growing up with an alcoholic parent...even seasonal lighting changes. And sometimes depression simply happens – without any obvious causal factors. Understanding causes is not nearly as important as recognizing symptoms, and knowing what to do if you see them in yourself or someone else.
What’s clear is that biology, environment, and psychology can all play roles in the onset of depression. In other words, the genetics you were dealt at birth, life circumstances (financial hardships or the loss of a loved one, for example), and how your personality is constructed all have individual and collective impacts on the likelihood of depression becoming an issue for you.
Why aren’t more people getting treatment?
Unfortunately, the stigma associated with mental illnesses is still one of the big reasons more people don’t seek help, according to Fraser. “We’re all working very hard to combat this, but stigma is a tough adversary,” she says. “The fact is that depression is a legitimate, serious, treatable illness. It’s not a character weakness. It’s not something you can fix without professional help.”
And then there’s the economy. More people are losing jobs and losing insurance benefits that could pay for all or part of their treatment for depression. “This is why it’s so important that Lake County has a strong ADAMHS system,” Fraser says. “ADAMHS funding translates to sliding fee scales throughout our local network of mental health and recovery services providers. No one with depression should go without treatment because of financial hardship.”
Fraser adds that the ADAMHS system is facing its own set of financial hardships these days. “The Ohio budget that was passed a few months ago slashed state funding for mental health and recovery services,” she says. “Those cuts have been felt in a big way here. Fortunately, our system enjoys strong local tax support which has kept us healthier than many other systems in Ohio. So while we’re struggling, we’re still confident in our system’s ability to provide vital services to our Lake County neighbors who need them.”
Treatment
There’s a misperception that treatment for depression begins and ends with medication. Not necessarily so, says Dr. Sabet. “The right treatment often involves an integrated, comprehensive approach that includes talk therapy plus meds; but which also addresses things like nutrition, sleep patterns, caffeine, exercise – even light therapy,” he explains. “The bottom line is that treatment can be very effective in alleviating symptoms and restoring quality-of-life for people with depression.”
For more information about depressive illness and the local ADAMHS network of service providers, visit www.HelpThatWorks.us.
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