Caring, The Cure for Depression

A recent study discovered that the numbers of people on antideprressents has more than doubled in the last nine years: “About 6 percent of people were prescribed an antidepressant in 1996 -- 13 million people. This rose to...27 million people by 2005…”

Any guesses about how many people are on antidepressants this year? Any guesses about how many people would be on them if they could afford, or were more inclined, to seek professional care?

Today, most people see human reactions as either good or bad – constructive, or something to suppress. We all know that there are underlying causes, but there’s no time to think much about that. We have goals and responsibilities. So, we push on pretending we’re more machine than human.

The report goes on to say: “The rise in antidepressant prescriptions also is seen despite a series of public health warnings on use of antidepressant drugs beginning in 2003 after clinical trials showed they increased the risk of suicidal thoughts and behaviors in children and teens.”

So, more people are depressed than ever before, and more people are turning to suicide as their final recourse. Sadly, this trend is most prevalent among children and teens. Is that the legacy we want to be remembered for?

We live in a world of individualists. We each have our own path, and for the most part we’re all walking it alone. Sure, we work and walk along with others, but when one falls by the wayside, we just focus harder on our goals. We have to! We have rent and mortgages – and suicidal kids to take care of.

We’ve all had some great successes! Yet lately, life just isn’t working the way it used to. At some point before antidepressant usage reaches 100% (of those who don’t opt out via suicide), we’re going to have to wake up to the shift back to the old, simpler priorities of really caring about those around us enough to stop what we’re doing and help – or at least show them that they’re not alone.

This may not seem relevant to those of us who are scrambling for survival right now. Everyone has important, personal reasons to keep doing their absolute best to make a way in this world! Still, while we do what we have to do, we also need to learn to shift our priorities and expand our awareness to the needs of others around us. When we do that, others might do the same and for us and we just may be on our way to building the world we all want.

Humans weren’t made to do everything all by themselves. Yet, that’s how we live. Communities break up and scatter as people move on to “better opportunities” elsewhere. Extended families split up, and lately most of our isolated little core families break up too! People grow apart and go their own ways and then need therapy, or at least antidepressants to keep on going.

Isn’t it maybe time to rethink this system? The problem is partly solving itself as kids move back in with their parents after they lose their jobs and/or marriages. Still, others aren’t so lucky and end up under overpasses. These are the humans that the system has used up and spit out, and it’s depressing to live in a world that does that no matter how we’re personally doing!

As we move into the 2012 era of endings and new beginnings, many of us are very aware of what we don’t want in our world anymore. Still, it may seem like a big leap of faith to begin building the foundation of our new world by taking our attention off of our personal priorities and giving it to those around us.

Yet, as we each do what we have to every day, it might be worth investing a little conscious attention on the needs of others. It doesn’t take any time at all to really look into the eyes of the person who’s talking to you. It just takes a minute to really listen and care.

Community is built one conversation and one concern at a time. It’s not really that hard, and reaching out is a proven cure for depression. Besides, those caring conversations may very well end up saving lives – maybe even your own.

Hunt Henion

www.shiftawareness.com