Lawyer Megan Zavieh writes, “My purpose is to encourage attorneys to stop buying into the “Superman complex” — the idea that nothing is going to hurt you — and consider the ramifications of not taking care of yourself.” Read her Blog
Cautionary Takes of Personal Burnout
The Happy Horizon Keeps Unhappy Lawyers Stuck
Lawyer Jennifer Alvey writes, “I’d be willing to bet more than 80% of you live with a Happy Horizon in your head. The Happy Horizon is the fantasy you use to convince yourself that all your angst over your job is just a temporary blip, rather than the actual contours of your daily existence.” Read her Blog
Shake It Off? Not So Easy for People with Depression, New Brain Research Suggests
A new study reports that getting rejected hurts depressed people for longer due to a lack of a natural pain and stress-reducing chemical. Read the News
What Everyone Should Know About Men and Depression
Elahe Izadi writes in The Washington Post, “Struggling with clinical depression can be especially challenging for people who don’t have strong support from loved ones. But having that kind of social support may end up discouraging some men from seeking out professional help, according to a new study.” Read the News
20 Quotes on Courage to Help with Depression
Check out these 20 great quotes on depression assembled by blogger, Therese Borchard. Read the Blog
Depression: What Breed is Your Black Dog?
Elizabeth Forbes writes, “There’s no such thing as ‘depression,’ called by sufferer Winston Churchill, ‘the black dog”. Instead, experts say, we should get in the habit of talking about ‘depressions’ just as we talk about infections or cancers.” Read her Blog
Chronic or Recurrent Depression: Why Does Depression Go Away and Then Return?
Some people who experience a single depressive episode will fully recover, never to experience another. (Sign us up for that, right?)
For about 40-60% of us, however, depression is a chronic illness that will come back. By the time most people get treatment, they have experienced multiple depressive episodes already.
Good news: with treatment, recurrences can be less severe, occur less frequently and not last as long.
So why does depression seem to rear its ugly head over and over again for most of us?
Saying you have depression is like saying you have a terrible headache, in that you have disabling symptoms, but it says nothing about the cause of those symptoms.
For instance, in the case of a headache, you may have a migraine, a tension headache, a stroke, a brain tumor, a concussion, or something else. The underlying cause informs the prognosis and treatment of your headache, whether it will come back and the best course of treatment.
With depression, we are just beginning to understand the underlying causes and contributors – which could be medical, neurological, psychological or social – many of which are ongoing and lead to a propensity for depressive episodes.
Depression has a genetic basis, but whether that’s because of biological differences in brain chemistry or temperament or something else, we don’t know yet.
We do know that people in stressful situations or lifestyles have more depressive episodes. This could be stress brought on by work, it could be relationship-related, a traumatic or neglectful childhood, or an unsafe living or work environment.
Recurrence can be caused by psychological makeup – much of which can be based in how we view ourselves, others and everyone’s place in the world. Studies have shown that psychotherapy can change this brain makeup to positively influence our outlook.
There’s still so much to learn about the disease. We need to recognize that for many, it’s a biopsychosocialspiritual illness with multiple contributing components that must all be addressed to create the highest likelihood for treatment to work.
Psychotherapy remains the most effective treatment for depression, and should be part of every patient’s plan for recovery.
Someone with chronic, disabling depression may also benefit from a comprehensive evaluation at a center that respects all contributors to the illness to treat the whole person in an individualized, comprehensive way. One place to do this is at The Retreat at Sheppard Pratt, which also specializes in treatment-resistant depression.
Depression is an intensely personal experience. When pursuing treatment, be sure that you are being understood, and obtaining the level of support you need. For some, particularly those working in a highly stressful environment, that could mean getting away for a short time to focus on recovery, even though it can be a tough decision to make. Be open to all levels of care.
It can be disheartening to realize that your depression will likely come back. Know that you’re not alone, as about 6.7% of the U.S. population have had at least one depressive episode in the past year.
Keep working on your recovery, talking about it to reduce stigma, and supporting those who are studying mental illness. One day, we will know more.
By Thomas Franklin, M.D., Medical Director, The Retreat at Sheppard Pratt
Dr. Thomas Franklin is the medical director of The Retreat at Sheppard Pratt. He is a clinical assistant professor of psychiatry at the University of Maryland School of Medicine and a candidate at the Washington Center for Psychoanalysis. He is Board Certified in Addiction Medicine and Psychiatry and has extensive experience in psychotherapy, psychopharmacology, and addictions and co-occurring disorders. Dr. Franklin previously served as medical director of Ruxton House, The Retreat’s transitional living program, before assuming the role of medical director of The Retreat in 2014.
How People Become Resilient
Maria Konnilova writes in The New Yorker magazine, “Resilience presents a challenge for psychologists. Whether you can be said to have it or not largely depends not on any particular psychological test but on the way your life unfolds. If you are lucky enough to never experience any sort of adversity, we won’t know how resilient you are. It’s only when you’re faced with obstacles, stress, and other environmental threats that resilience, or the lack of it, emerges: Do you succumb or do you surmount?” Read her Article
3 Lies Lawyers Should Stop Telling Themselves
Lawyer and author of the new book, “The Anxious Lawyer: An Eight-week Guide to a Happier, Saner Law Practice Using Mindfulness,” Jenna Cho writes that lawyers tell themselves three big lies: that they aren’t good enough, that more is better and that they must sacrifice themselves and their well-being for others. Read her Blog
Time to Talk, Depressed Lawyers. To Yourself
Jennifer Alvey writes, “Depression for lawyers is not solely due to external influences or chemical imbalances. A notable chunk of it also stems from our self-talk. Lawyers, as I’ve written about before, tend to be a pessimistic lot. Let your worst-case scenario work filter become your life filter, and you’ve got an inner life that leads straight to a lot of hopelessness. Living the ‘always look on the dark side’ kind of life means that you won’t see possibilities.” Read her Blog
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