Another Look for a Missing Tail

By: Olivia Cheng

Cartoons were a huge staple when I was younger, and a classic favorite of mine was the ever so wonderful The Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. Who could resist the innocence of Pooh Bear, the loyalty of Piglet, and the undying ball of optimism that is Tigger. But no matter what others say, the character who warmed himself closest to my heart was in fact, believe it or not, Eeyore. To me, he was the tragic hero, the forgotten character of the show. Despite his cold exterior and his slightly pessimistic view on life, I saw a kind hearted donkey who wanted and was capable of love.

A common gaffe was that his tail, which was pinned to his behind, would go missing too often to count. And so came the game, “Pin the Tail on Eeyore,” which I actually played during one of my birthday parties as a child.

But however cute or funny it is that he kept losing his tail, there lies some truth to this sad tale – yes, pun intended. No one is perfect, and each of the characters in this children’s story is proof of this, Eeyore included. Whenever his tail went missing, his friends were always there to help; be it successful or not, they would try. And eventually they would find his tail and an amazing thing would happen… His face would light up and he would smile.

Maybe that’s why I loved Eeyore so much. Perhaps it was because he reminded me of how even the gloomiest of people can perk up, how even in the lowest of times there are always others willing to listen, to search, and help you find your way. We can all be happy and we can all make it through – sometimes we just need that extra hand to find our missing tail. And even if we can’t find that missing tail immediately, it’s always nice to know that there’s someone out there looking out for you.

 So if you ever see anyone who’s down, be they depressed or simply upset, don’t turn a blind eye. And even if they seem fine, ask how they’re doing anyways, because you never can truly tell by a person's exterior. If something's wrong, offer to help in someway, even if it's just to listen to their story. And who knows? You might just make their day. As Eeyore would say, “Thanks for noticing.”

A Dark Cloud Over the Stars & Stripes

By: Janki Shah

In a rich bustling and successful country like the United States, you would not expect that it tops on the list of countries with the one of the largest percent of their population with mental illness. [1] With the US population rising to a close 313.9 million individuals, 6.7% of the population that is 18 years or older is affected by major depressive disorder (MDD), making it one of the most prevalent of the mental illnesses. [2] The World Health Organization predicts that by the year 2030, depression will lead to more years lost to disability than any other illness. [3] For example, a depressed individual’s average life span can be shortened by 25 to 30 years. Shockingly, an illness that impacts so many individuals in this country alone, is still underestimated, ignored and simply shoved under the rug. Ok that’s enough numbers for now.

Although we may agree that the attitudes toward depression has improved within the last few decades, some of us still find it hard to believe that the discrimination and stigma surrounding those individuals is still alive. We all know depression is more than just being sad. Despite the numerous ways to raise awareness, many people have difficulty differentiating between being sad and the prolonged torturous episodes of feeling down, hopeless and miserable. This is just one of the many misconceptions we still have about depression. However if we understand the stigma around depression and come up with ways to remove it, we can openly talk about this public health issue and keep mental illness out of the shadows. Unfortunately it is much easier said than done.

But what is a stigma exactly? It is a difficult multifaceted concept to define, but if anyone has read The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne, the letter “A” that the protagonist Hester Prynne had to wear, represented that she had committed adultery, and it served as a symbol for the society to remember her by; that symbol is similar to a stigma. Although maybe not as embarrassing, a stigma is similarly characterized as a “mark of shame” that sets the person apart from others. [4] A depressed individual is sometimes stigmatized as one who is weak, lazy, unmotivated, accused of substance abuse. This “tattoo” paves the way for increasing prejudice, discrimination, social isolation and preconceptions about their character. Shame and secrecy develop in response to the stigma. [5] Due to fear of being associated with a failing moral weakness, people attempt to hide their illness and avoid seeking help from professionals. The stigma that is attached to the individual impacts their life in almost every aspect, whether it is at home, work, or their neighborhood. Because of the way depression harms a person’s self-esteem, the stigma becomes intertwined into their self-image and their whole being. [6] Hopefully with more research into the understanding depression as an illness and theories of how social stigmas are constructed, we can look forward to a brighter future where we can come up with ways to bust them as well! 

References

[1] Dusen, Allison van. (2007). How Depressed is Your Country? In Forbes.  Retrieved September 4, 2013 (http://www.forbes.com/2007/02/15/depression-world-rate-forbeslife-cx_avd_0216depressed.html)

[2] Kessler RC, Chiu WT, Demler O, Walters EE. Prevalence, severity, and comorbidity of twelve-month DSM-IV disorders in the National Comorbidity Survey Replication (NCS-R). Archives of General Psychiatry, 2005 Jun;62(6):617-27.

3] Voinov et al. (2013). Depression and Chronic Diseases: It is time for a Synergistic Mental Health and Primary Care Approach. Primary Care Companion for CNS Disorders. 15 (2). Retrieved September 4, 2013  (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3733529/)

[4] Overton, Stacy L. and Medina, Sondra L. (2008). The Stigma of Mental Illness. Journal of Counseling and Development. Retrieved September 4, 2013 (http://pzacad.pitzer.edu/~hfairchi/pdf/psychology/Social&Diversity/Overton(2008)StigmaMentalIllness.pdf)

[5] Byrne, Peter. (2000). Stigma of mental illness and ways of diminishing it. Advances of Psychiatric Treatment. Vol 6. 65-62. Retrieved September 4, 2013 (http://apt.rcpsych.org/content/6/1/65.full.pdf)

[6] Wolpert, Lewis. (2001). Stigma of Depression- a personal view. British Medical Bulletin. 57 (1). pp. 221-224. Retrieved September 4, 2013 (http://bmb.oxfordjournals.org/content/57/1/221.full)

The Wrath of Dementors: An Introduction to Depression

By Pavitra Srinivasan

The world of Harry Potter is filled with mythical beasts and terrifying creatures, capable of inflicting pain and punishment to anyone deemed worthy of the wrath. Naturally, in a story of good vs. evil, it is not entirely surprising that deviants are subjected to a form of rehabilitation and imprisonment. What does give pause is the notion that those who guard the gates of these prisons are dementors.

Dementors are essentially hooded figures who are able to magically steal all happy memories and cause their targets to simply remember and relive the darkest and painful memories. Thus, they are given the monumental task of punishing the worst of the criminals. Though an obvious choice, not even fire-breathing dragons are given this consideration.

To say that the dementors can be interpreted as a metaphor for depression is a valid argument. In the Harry Potter series, a powerful spell that calls for the invocation of pure happiness is enough to ward off the demons. However, in the real world, the illness goes far deeper than just that.

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, published by the American Psychiatric Association, has a variety of disorders that present with conditions consistent with what the majority may acknowledge as depression. Major depressive disorder (MDD) is perhaps the most well known of these, but others include: dysthymic disorder, bipolar disorder, substance-induced mood disorder, mood disorder due to a generic medical condition, adjustment disorder with depressed mood, post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety disorders, schizoaffective disorder and schizophrenia, and personality disorders (Center for Substance Abuse Treatment).

Regardless of the disorder within which it appears, depression is an illness that goes far beyond a sadness that lasts a few days, or simply “feeling blue”. The criteria used to establish a diagnosis of major depressive disorder (MDD) includes the appearance of depressive episodes, which include at the very least five of the following symptoms: depressed mood, anhedonia (or a lower interest in activities, even those that previously brought pleasure), change in weight or appetite, irregular sleeping patterns, change in activity, fatigue, guilt and worthlessness, lower concentration, and suicidal ideation (American Psychiatric Association).

Unfortunately, a neurological model that explains depression has yet to be established. Even further, a concrete cause is unlikely to provide the truth. There is no single chemical that causes it. Rather, various brain regions are implicated in how they are affected by depression, such as the amygdala, thalamaus and hippocampus (Miller, 2011). The brain is a complex puzzle that is still waiting to be solved, so any definitive answers are probably on the horizon, what with the advent of neuro-imaging in the form of CAT scans and fMRI machines.

For something that affects a significant portion of the population, there is a lot of misconception about depression itself. Perhaps it is the lack of a tangible culprit: no bacteria to blame, virus to vilify, or tumor to tongue-lash. Perhaps it lies in our socio-cultural fabric, when threads of truth are interwoven and hidden among what’s deemed acceptable. Or even perhaps, maybe the reason society doesn’t acknowledge the problem is because the answer is far beyond our understanding.

If only we had magical wands and incantations.

American Psychiatric Association. (2000). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (4th ed., text rev.). doi:10.1176/appi.books.9780890423349

Center for Substance Abuse Treatment. Managing Depressive Symptoms in Substance Abuse Clients During Early Recovery. Rockville (MD): Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (US); 2008. (Treatment Improvement Protocol (TIP) Series, No. 48.) Appendix D—DSM-IV-TR Mood Disorders. Available from: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK64063/

Miller, M. C. (2011). What causes depression?.Understanding depression, Retrieved from http://www.health.harvard.edu/newsweek/what-causes-depression.htm