HOPE, HELP AVAILABLE FOR THOSE WHO SUFFER DEPRESSION

It took six years of therapy and medication, but in 1992, Sue Floyd reclaimed her life.

These days, the Scott City woman works as president of the Depressive-Manic Depressive Association of Southeast Missouri to teach others suffering from depression that help is available.

"I was helped," Floyd, 52, said. "I got better, and I wanted to help other people get better. I do know there's a lot of people out there who have gotten better, but who stay hidden because they don't want the stigma of mental illness."

Floyd suffered for years from bouts of depression. She sought help in 1986 after her doctor told her he couldn't find any reason for the backaches and other physical symptoms she was suffering.

People often don't realize they're suffering from depression, Floyd said. They might think they're run down because of the flu or stress at work.

"I've never tried to commit suicide, but I thought about it," she said. "That's what sent me to a psychiatrist. I said, 'Either she'll be able to help me or she won't, and I'll do it.'"

DMDA will sponsor a free depression screening Thursday to help increase awareness of depression. The screenings will be held from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. at St. Francis Medical Center's Education Department in Conference Room A.

The association also works to eradicate the stigma attached to mental illness, Floyd said, adding that she was lucky her employers worked with her while she was receiving treatment. Others aren't so fortunate.

"If they know you have a problem, they won't hire you," she said.

Anne Moreland said depression should be treated like any other illness.

"It's no different from diabetes," she said. "If you have diabetes, you have to modify your diet. With depression, along with the medication, you have to modify your perspective. You don't hide a brother or sister with diabetes. Why would you hide someone with depression?"

"I don't think the stigma's been erased hardly at all," Floyd said. Moreland and Floyd say education is the key to getting people with depression to seek help.

Through different therapeutic techniques, people with depression can learn to modify their lifestyles and their thought processes, Moreland said.

"Quite often in therapy what you do is you change the perspective and you have them look at different ways of approaching the same situation," she said. "Some people will think, oh, this is the worst thing that's ever happened to me."

Like diabetes or heart disease, depression can run in the family, Moreland said.

Floyd said she would like to see more people who suffer from depression go public about their illness, if only to make their family members aware of the risks they might face.

"You need to talk to your children, let them know what's going on," Floyd said.

People of all ages, from children to senior citizens, are vulnerable to depression. Moreland said about 10 percent of the population will experience depression at some time in their lives.

"It's OK," she said. "It's not a big taboo. We're trying to get rid of that idea. It's something people can learn to live with."

Several factors can trigger depression, including unresolved grief, prolonged stress or major life changes, such as the loss of a job or a loved one, she said. But all depression is rooted in a chemical imbalance in the body. When a person remains under stress for extended periods of time, the body produces the hormones needed for "fight or flight" behavior. When that stress isn't acted on or resolved, the chemical imbalance eventually results, causing long-term depression.

It's important that people with depression seek treatment, she said. A combination of medication and therapy, both of which may need fine-tuning over the course of treatment, can bring depression under control.

If people are prone to recurring depression, said Floyd, it's important that they build up a good support network and recognize factors that might trigger bouts of depression, such as the holidays or the anniversary of a loved one's death or other event.

People with depression also need to learn to recognize their own individual trigger factors, Floyd said.

"For myself," she said, "I know when I can't get all my work done that it's starting. You come in one day and you can do all of this, but the next day, you start slowing down. That's a sign."

There are other triggers, as well, she said, adding: "This year, for some reason, a great deal of us are having difficulties. They said it's due to the weather we've had."

The heat wave that gripped the area a few weeks ago caused many people to become dehydrated. For people with depression or manic-depression, that can cause the chemical imbalance at the root of their illness to become more severe. Adjusting medication dosages can fix the problem.

For information on Thursday's screening, or on DMDA, call 339-0111.