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HOUSTON HOME JOURNAL
Depression - when it’s more than just the blues
Special to the Journal
Everyone gets “the blues”
or feels sad occasionally, but
when that sad feeling lasts
longer than a few weeks, it
may be more than just a
temporary mood. It may be
depression.
Each year, approximately
18.8 million American adults
suffer from some form of
depression. Some people
have one episode in a lifetime
while others have recurring
bouts.
Other people experience
symptoms so severe they are
unable to function normally.
Still others experience cycles
of deep “lows” and severe
“highs.” Whatever the form,
depression can destroy fam
ily life as well as the life of
the ill person. Most people
with depression do not seek
treatment because they do
not realize that depression
is a treatable illness. Even
those with severe depression
can be helped.
Depression is an illness
that involves the body, mood,
and thoughts, and is com
mon in men, women and
children of all ages, racial,
and socioeconomic groups. It
affects the way a person eats
and sleeps, the way they feel
about themselves, and the
way they think about life in
general.
There are three common
types of depression:
■ Major depression
involves a combination of
symptoms that interfere with
a person’s ability to work,
study, sleep, eat, and enjoy
once pleasurable activities.
Such a disabling episode of
HHC athletic training prngram incuses on student safety in sports
Special to the Journal
Keeping high school stu
dent athletes safe while
practicing and competing in
sports is the primary goal
of Houston Healthcare’s
Athletic Training program,
which is available to all of
the high schools in Houston
County. A staff of five full
time and several part-time
Certified Athletic Trainers
serve as health care liaisons
between all student athletes,
coaches, physicians and par
ents, as part of Houston
Healthcare’s Human Motion
Institute, a unique program
that offers a leading edge
approach to the prevention,
assessment, treatment and
rehabilitation of orthopedic
and musculoskeletal injuries
or problems.
Led by Mike Edgar, A.T.,
C., L.A.T., Sports Medicine
Coordinator for Houston
Healthcare, the athletic train
ers work daily in the schools
attending practices, weight
training and conditioning
sessions, as well as sport
ing events. Additionally, they
provide health education to
area coaches, athletic direc
tors, students and parents on
a variety of topics including
sports safety, preventive and
wellness measures as well as
treatment of minor injuries.
In the event of an injury, the
athletic trainers also serve as
liaisons between the student
athletes and the local physi
cians.
According to Edgar, the pri
mary concern of the athletic
trainer is student safety. “Our
job is to keep the student
athletes safe,” he explains.
“When a student is injured,
we immediately contact the
team physician, and we can
make referrals to orthope
dic specialists quickly with
out the normal wait time.
The relationship our athletic
trainers have with the local
physicians ensures a rapid
response time for treatment
of a student’s sports-related
injuries.”
However, Edgar says the
students are not the only ones
depression may occur only
once during a person’s life
time, but more often occurs
several times.
■ Dysthymia is a less
severe form of depression
involving long-term, chronic
symptoms that do not dis
able, but keep a person from
functioning well or from feel
ing good. Many people with
dysthymia also experience
major depressive episodes at
some point in their lives.
■ Bipolar disorder, also
called manic-depressive ill
ness, is characterized by
cycling mood changes: severe
highs (mania) and lows
(depression). Sometimes the
mood changes are dramatic
and rapid, but most often
they occur gradually. When
in the depressed cycle, an
individual can have any or all
of the symptoms of depres
sion. But when in the manic
cycle, the individual may be
overactive, over talkative,
and very energetic. Mania
often affects rational think
ing, judgment and social
behavior in ways that cause
serious problems and embar
rassment.
Not a lot is known yet
about the causes of depres
sion. Current research indi
cates that some forms of
depression, such as bipolar
disorder, runs in families and
may be hereditary. In the
past 10 years, studies have
shown that rates of depres
sion are consistently higher
among children of depressed
parents than among the
general population. Physical
changes in the body can also
be accompanied by mental
changes.
benefiting from the exper
tise of the trainers. “With
the athletic trainers in the
schools, the coaches are free
to coach because they don’t
have to worry about mak
ing the injury assessments
anymore,” he adds. “We also
alleviate some stress off of
the students’ parents. They
are more secure knowing
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»
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Open Mon - Sat
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Signs of depression
If four or more of the following symp
toms persist for more than two weeks,
then that may be a sign of depression.
Please call a mental health professional
if you suspect you may be depressed.
□ A persistent sad, anxious, or
"empty" mood
□ Loss ot satisfaction with Rte
□ Feelings ot hopelessness or
pessimism
□ Feelings ot gult, worthlessness,
or helplessness
□ Diminished capacity to give or
receive affection
□ Loss ol interest or pleasure In
ordinary activities
□ Sleep disturbances including early
morning waking, Insomnia, or
oversleeping
□ Fating disturbances Including
weight gain or loss and changes
in appetite
□ Physical aches and pains including
headaches and lower back pain
□ Excessive crying
□ Restlessness, Irrltabilty, or
hyperactivity
□ Decreased energy, fatigue, or
slowed thinking
□ Difficulty in concentrating,
remembering, or making decisions
□ Thoughts ol death or suicide;
suicide attempts
Medical illnesses such as
stroke, heart attack, cancer,
Parkinson’s disease, and hor
monal disorders can cause
depression. Life events such
as loss of a loved one, divorce,
relocation, financial prob
lems, birth of a baby, or any
stressful change in life pat
terns can trigger depression.
Certain personality traits
that the trainers are there
to keep their children safe
while practicing and during
the games.”
All of Houston Healthcare’s
athletic trainers are certified
through the National Athletic
Trainers Association and
are licensed athletic train
ers in the state of Georgia.
Together, the team has more
Urgent Care...
when you need it.
can also make a person more
susceptible to depression.
People who have low self
esteem, who consistently
view the world as cruel and
unsupportive, who consider
the future hopeless or who
are easily overwhelmed by
stress experience depression
more often than people with
positive, optimistic attitudes.
The good news is that
depression can be treated
successfully. For the majority
of individuals suffering from
depression, treatment can
result in a return to normal
participation in daily activi
ties and enjoyments. The
first step to getting appropri
ate treatment for depression
is a physical examination by
a physician.
Certain medications and
conditions can cause the
same symptoms as depres
sion and the physician should
rule out these possibilities. If
it is determined that there
is no physical cause for the
depression, a psychological
evaluation should be done by
either the physician or a psy
chiatrist or psychologist.
“A good diagnostic evalu
ation should include a com
plete history of symptoms,
when they started, how long
they have lasted, how severe
they are, whether the patient
had them before, and if so,
were they treated and how,”
explains Burton Carriker,
a licensed counselor and
Program .Administrator
for Houston Healthcare’s
Behavioral Health Services.
“The physician should also
ask about alcohol and drug
use, and if the patient has
thoughts about death and
than 60 years of training
experience.
“Houston County is one of
the few counties in the state
that have certified athletic
trainers in the high schools,”
comments Edgar., “We truly
enjoy what we do for the stu
dents, coaches and the par
ents, and we work together
as a team really well.”
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Med-Stop
N. Houston Road at Houston Mall
923-2843
Open Daily
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SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 2007 ♦
suicide. Questions should
also be asked about family
history of depression, what
treatment methods were
used, and how effective they
were.”
There are a variety of anti
depressant medications and
psychotherapies that can be
utilized to treat depression.
People with milder forms of
depression may do well with
psychotherapy alone.
Others with moderate to
severe depression most often
benefit from antidepressants.
The majority of people with
depression see good results
with a combined treatment
method - medication to gain
relatively quick relief from
symptoms and psychother
apy to learn more effective
ways to handle life’s prob
lems, including depression.
“Depression .makes a per
son feel exhausted, worthless,
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Hilary Kate Ellwood, MD
Board Certified, American
Academy of Family Medicine
Kimberley R. Ham, MD
Board Certified, American
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Cynthia M. Jones, MD
Board Certified, American
Board of Family Medicine
Gayatri Kamat, MD
Board Certified, American
Board of Internal Medicine
helpless, and hopeless,” com
ments Carriker. “Negative
thoughts and feelings make
some people feel like giving
up. It is important for jthem
to realize that these negative
views are part of the depres
sion and will fade as treat
ment begins to take effect.
“Enlisting the support of
family and friends is also vital
to the successful treatment
of depression. Family and
friends often do not under
stand the devastating effects
on the person suffering from
depression. The most impor
tant thing anyone can do for
a depressed person is to help
him or her find appropriate
evaluation and treatment.”
If you think you or some
one you know may be suf
fering from depression,
call Houston Healthcare’s
Behavioral Health Services
at 478-542-7788.
CP HT 3
Barbara A. Matthews, MD
Board Certified, American
Board of Family Medicine
Jodie Velie, MD
Board Eligible, American
Board of Family Practice
Ferial Walid, MD
Board Certified, American
Board of Family Medicine
7A
55714
50626