*AUTO-REPLY*


Hi --

I can't come to the computer right now, but I'll be back by 3/30 and will
respond to you then.

Thanks!

Lee



On 03/22/98 4:05 PM, Automatic digest processor expostulated:

>There are 7 messages totalling 912 lines in this issue.
>
>Topics in this special issue:
>
>  1. re-post: clinical depression [cd] part 3
>  2. re-post: clinical depression [cd] part 9
>  3. re-post: clinical depression [cd] part 5
>  4. re-post: clinical depression [cd] part 7
>  5. re-post: clinical depression [cd] part 4
>  6. re-post: clinical depression [cd] part 8
>  7. re-post: clinical depression [cd] part 6
>
>----------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>Date:    Sun, 22 Mar 1998 19:01:14 EST
>From:    Janet313 <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: re-post: clinical depression [cd] part 3
>
>-------------------------------------------------------
>Date: 30 October 1997
>From: =A0janet paterson
>Subject: re-post: CD: perceptions of rainbows
>-------------------------------------------------------
>original posted on 15 July 1997
>-------------------------------------------------------
>
>hi marling
>you wrote:
>>your outlook is great
>>I have always felt that I am responsible for
>>my own actions and reactions and no one else's.
>
>...thank you for your kind words
>
>but...
>if you have 'always' felt that way
>howcum you didn't let me in on the secret earlier?
>
>here i am a grown woman of 50
>and sometimes i feel like i'm still in kindergarten!
>
>>By the way, I have also found that I can color that hole.
>>Mine now has rainbow swirls. It makes it cheery (ha ha).
>
>i have described the 'paralysis of will'
>that accompanies slimey thinking
>as akin to functioning in
>a vat of green jello
>[extra thick]
>but
>i like your idea better
>
>your syb-sis
>
>janet
>
>-------------------------------------------------------
>
>janet paterson
>51-10 / sinemet-selegiline-prozac
>almonte-ontario-canada / [log in to unmask]
>
>------------------------------
>
>Date:    Sun, 22 Mar 1998 19:02:24 EST
>From:    Janet313 <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: re-post: clinical depression [cd] part 9
>
>-------------------------------------------------------
>Date: 10 October 1997
>From: =A0janet paterson
>Subject: CD: Millions of depressed people undiagnosed, experts say
>-------------------------------------------------------
>
>WASHINGTON (October 10, 1997 00:28 a.m. EDT http://www.nando.net) - Millio=
ns
>of
>people are walking around depressed without even realizing it, and their
>doctors and families are missing what could be a serious illness as well,
>experts said on Thursday.
>
>More than 66 percent of people with clinical depression go undiagnosed, bu=
t
>the disease is easily treated, doctors, psychologists and members of Congr=
ess
>told a
>news conference.
>
>"There's 17 million people in the United States who suffer from depression=
,
>and less than 33 percent of them seek treatment," Michael Faenza,
>president of
>the National Mental Health Association (NMHA), said.
>
>Steven Hyman, director of the National Institute of Mental Health, said mo=
st
>people still believed the symptoms of depression, which include persistent=

>sad
>or anxious moods, sleeping too much or too little, appetite changes and
>fatigue, were some sort of character defect.
>
>"Based on everything we know from biochemical science, we can say that
>depression
>is not a moral failing," he said. "You can't just tell people to pull
>themselves up by their bootstraps."
>
>On Thursday the NMHA, the American Psychiatric Association, the National
>Alliance
>for the Mentally Ill (NAMI) and the National Depressive and Manic-Depressi=
ve
>Association sponsored a nationwide series of free, confidential screenings=

>for
>depression.
>
>Faenza said such screenings in the past had turned up the extent of the
>problem. "Up to 60 percent of people screened have been found to have
>depression," he said in an interview.
>
>Perhaps people self-selected, he added -- meaning that those who felt they
>might be depressed tended to go to screenings. But he said the stigma of
>mental illness was stopping people from getting help.
>
>Senators and members of Congress, opening one free screening in a Senate
>office building, said their own experiences showed how ignorant people wer=
e
>about depression.
>
>"My father committed suicide," Nevada Sen. Harry Reid said. "As I look bac=
k,
>(I realize) my father was depressed a lot of the time. Had we known my fat=
her
>would shoot himself, we would have been more concerned about this thing we
>call depression," Reid, a Democrat, added.
>
>Michigan Democrat Lynn Rivers said her battle with bipolar disorder, also
>known as manic depression, nearly cost her the race for Congress when her
>opponent used it against her.
>
>"It never impacted my ability to serve," she said. "This is a disease that=
 is
>treatable. This is a disease that is biologically based."
>
>But Hyman said most doctors did not even recognize depression. Only 40
>percent
>of
>people who are depressed and who see their doctors are diagnosed and refer=
red
>for treatment, he said.
>
>"Only 20 percent of children going to pediatricians are being recognized a=
nd
>treated," he added.
>
>Untreated depression costs the U.S. economy $43 billion a year in lost
>workdays, eventual hospital stays and other losses, Laurie Flynn, executiv=
e
>director of NAMI, said.
>
>By MAGGIE FOX, Health and Science Correspondent
>Copyright 1997 Nando.net
>Copyright 1997 Reuters
>
>-------------------------------------------------------
>
>janet paterson
>51-10 / sinemet-selegiline-prozac
>almonte-ontario-canada / [log in to unmask]
>
>------------------------------
>
>Date:    Sun, 22 Mar 1998 19:01:28 EST
>From:    Janet313 <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: re-post: clinical depression [cd] part 5
>
>-------------------------------------------------------
>Date: 30 October 1997
>From: janet paterson
>Subject: re-post: CD: perceptions re-visited
>-------------------------------------------------------
>original posted on 17 July 1997
>-------------------------------------------------------
>
>dear syber-siblings
>
>our newest list member asks:
>>Is Prozac the best thing for this sort of depression?
>
>clinical depression [cd] seems to have become my pet subject
>
>the question reminded me of something i had intended to
>include in my 'perceptions' post earlier this week
>in my reading about cd and its treatment
>
>i understand that the current professional guidelines
>advise that where medication is indicated as a treatmemt
>it should be approached much more aggressively
>than in the past
>
>the thinking was that cd has been chronically under-treated:
>not enough medication and for too short a time
>to be truly effective in 'blowing the clouds away'
>
>the implication was that cd is eminently treatable and beatable
>that its victims should not have to suffer with it needlessly
>due to under-treatment
>
>i believe that i can relate to this personally
>i felt that my anti-depressant 'wasn't working anymore'
>and worried about switching to something else
>however my doctor advised increasing the current med
>for a few weeks as the first strategy
>and i do believe it worked
>[witness the sudden re-emergence of the hermit!]
>
>please note that i have deliberately avoided naming meds
>because pd varies so much from one person to another
>and each of us is our own unique 'chemical stew'
>there are a lot of anti-depressants available;
>
>it may take some experimenting to hit on the right one
>
>any comments or corrections?
>
>janet
>
>-------------------------------------------------------
>
>janet paterson
>51-10 / sinemet-selegiline-prozac
>almonte-ontario-canada / [log in to unmask]
>
>------------------------------
>
>Date:    Sun, 22 Mar 1998 19:02:01 EST
>From:    Janet313 <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: re-post: clinical depression [cd] part 7
>
>-------------------------------------------------------
>Date:  30 October 1997
>From: =A0janet paterson
>Subject: re-post: CD: perceptions of clinical depression
>-------------------------------------------------------
>original posted on 01 August 1997
>-------------------------------------------------------
>
>hello syber-siblings
>
>in fond memory of alan bonander
>
>who left us a year ago today, a quote:
>
>=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0to be depressed is not unusual
>=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0but to stay depressed is unnecessary
>
>this seems to be evolving into a weekly 'syber-sibling cd series'
>
>every time i read of a syber-sibling struggling with cd
>i start mulling all over again
>
>since i'm so thankful to be out of it
>and because my heart goes out to anyone who's stuck in it
>
>when i'm in the 'slime pit' of cd
>i generally cannot see my thinking as distorted
>
>when i'm out of that pit
>i can look back and see the distortions clearly
>
>when i'm out of the pit
>and if i pay close attention
>i can frequently see cd clearly in others
>
>it's a catch 22
>for the cd sufferer
>
>if my thinking is distorted
>how can i evaluate my thinking?
>and how can i accept another's evaluation of my thinking?
>
>while discussing clinical depression [cd] with a friend recently,
>we came up with an interesting analogy of
>how the brain's chemistry malfunction
>can distort normal thinking
>into gloom and doom
>distortions
>
>we compared the bio-chemical imbalance of cd
>to having a faulty fuel gauge in my car
>
>"when you're depressed it always points to empty
>and it stresses you
>and makes you ill
>because even though you know when you're zipping around town
>that it can't always be empty
>yet there is that time when
>it will indeed be empty
>and thus it keeps you in a constant state of stress"
>
>i know i'm not 'imagining' anything
>because i can see the gauge showing 'empty'
>
>it's just that when i'm caught up in the slime pit
>i'm not 'spunky' enough to think the gauge is wrong
>
>instead i 'automatically' assume there must be something wrong with me:
>'why do i always forget to fill up?'
>'i'm gonna run outta gas and be stuck somewhere any minute and get a ticke=
t'
>'why am i always so irresponsible/lazy/etc ?'
>'i'll never make it to my appointment on time'
>
>that's sort of how the negative thinking spiral goes
>and i believe the constant stress of this 'automatic' thought pattern
>contributes to the chemical imbalance
>resulting in a downward spiral
>of negativity
>
>by contrast
>when i'm out of the slime pit
>if i saw the fuel gauge showing 'empty'
>i would not immediately assume there was anything at all wrong with me:
>i would simply look at the gauge and say
>"what the heck, i just filled it up the other day! stupid gauge!"
>[or something to that effect]
>
>2nd analogy for the mud wrestlers among us:
>cd is a slimey liar
>it's hard to grab ahold of it
>but once i've got it pinned down to the mat
>i know it's relatively easy to scrub the slime away
>
>with love from your syber-sis ...
>
>janet
>
>-------------------------------------------------------
>
>janet paterson
>51-10 / sinemet-selegiline-prozac
>almonte-ontario-canada / [log in to unmask]
>
>------------------------------
>
>Date:    Sun, 22 Mar 1998 19:01:22 EST
>From:    Janet313 <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: re-post: clinical depression [cd] part 4
>
>-------------------------------------------------------
>Date: 30 October 1997
>From: =A0janet paterson
>Subject: re-post: CD: perceptions shared
>-------------------------------------------------------
>original posted on 15 July 1997
>-------------------------------------------------------
>
>hi margie
>you wrote:
>>Wonderful description of depression and our choices of
>>what to do about it. It's easier said than done to make
>>those choices when in the midst of depression, and your
>>letter makes clear, but the choices are there.
>>I'm going to save your article to re-read and to share
>>with friends, if you don't mind. =A0Thanks.
>
>thank you for your kind words
>and please feel free to share away!
>
>recognising cd is the hardest aspect i think
>probably followed by accepting it
>and deciding to deal with it
>
>it's as common as the common cold
>but more so in parkies
>
>it's been hidden away in the 'looneybin' closet
>for too long
>
>as far as i'm concerned:
>if i have double-vision
>i have a type of bio-visual imbalance
>which needs to be corrected
>no shame/guilt/fear attached
>
>if i have pd
>i have a type of dopamine bio-chemical imbalance
>which needs to be corrected
>no shame/guilt/fear attached
>
>if i have cd
>i have a type of serotonin bio-chemical imbalance
>which needs to be corrected
>no shame/guilt/fear attached
>
>the 'corrections'
>are simply the ways and means i have at my disposal
>to 'tune-up' and 'fine-tune' as much as possible
>this bio-chemical body
>that i live in
>cuz i don't have a spare one handy
>
>the catch 22 of cd
>relative to other 'physical' imbalances
>is that it affects my perception of myself and my world
>
>the only reason i could recognise it in myself the first time
>was because i had done a lot of reading on the subject
>in order to understand someone near and dear
>
>after i was on an anti-depressant medication for a few weeks
>the clouds broke and the sun blazed through one day
>when i caught myself singing on the way to work
>for the first time in two years
>
>at that moment i fully realized
>[a] that there really had been clouds
>[b] that they had been dogging me for two years
>[c] that they had snuck up behind me silent and slow
>[d] that they had been twisting my perceptions like fun-house mirrors
>except that it wasn't very much fun
>
>however
>from the perspective i now have
>i can look on all of it as invaluable growing experience
>and would not change a thing
>not cd and not pd
>
>how else would i have arrived at this point
>of sharing so much with you?
>
>janet
>
>-------------------------------------------------------
>
>janet paterson
>51-10 / sinemet-selegiline-prozac
>almonte-ontario-canada / [log in to unmask]
>
>------------------------------
>
>Date:    Sun, 22 Mar 1998 19:02:14 EST
>From:    Janet313 <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: re-post: clinical depression [cd] part 8
>
>-------------------------------------------------------
>Date:   23 August 1997
>From:   janet paterson
>Subj:   CD: A Poem by Jane Kenyon
>-------------------------------------------------------
>
>          HAVING IT OUT WITH MELANCHOLY
>
>          "If many remedies are prescribed for an illness,
>          you may be certain that the illness has no cure."
>
>          A.P. Chekhov
>          The Cherry Orchard
>
>
>          1 FROM THE NURSERY
>
>          When I was born, you waited
>          behind a pile of linen in the nursery,
>          and when we were alone, you lay down
>          on top of me, pressing
>          the bile of desolation into every pore.
>          And from that day on
>          everything under the sun and moon
>          made me sad=97even the yellow
>          wooden beads that slid and spun
>          along a spindle on my crib.
>
>          You taught me to exist without gratitude.
>          You ruined my manners toward God:
>          "We're here simply to wit for death;
>          the pleasures of earth are overrated."
>
>          I only appeared to belong to my mother,
>          to live among blocks and cotton undershirts
>          with snaps; among red tin lunch boxes
>          and report cards in ugly brown slipcases.
>          I was already yours=97the anti-urge,
>          the mutilator of souls.
>
>          2 BOTTLES
>
>          Elavil, Ludiomil, Doxepin,
>          Norpramin, Prozac, Lithium, Xanax,
>          Wellbutrin, Parnate, Nardil, Zoloft.
>          The coated ones smell sweet or have
>          no smell; the powdery ones smell
>          like the chemistry lab at school
>          that made me hold my breath.
>
>          3 SUGGESTION FROM A FRIEND
>
>          You wouldn't be so depressed
>          if you really believed in God.
>
>          4 OFTEN
>
>          Often I go to bed as soon after dinner
>          as seems adult
>          (I mean I try to wait for dark)
>          in order to push away
>          from the massive pain in sleep's
>          frail wicker coracle.
>
>          5 ONCE THERE WAS LIGHT
>
>          Once, in my early thirties, I saw
>          that I was a speck of light in the great
>          river of light that undulates through time.
>          I was floating with the whole
>          human family. We were all colors=97those
>          who are living now, those who have died,
>          those who are not yet born. For a few
>
>          moments I floated, completely calm,
>          and I no longer hated having to exist.
>
>          Like a crow who smells hot blood
>          you came flying to pull me out
>          of the glowing stream.
>          "I'll hold you up. I never let my dear
>          ones drown!" After that, I wept for days.
>
>          6 IN AND OUT
>
>          The dog searches until he finds me
>          upstairs, lies down with a clatter
>          of elbows, puts his head on my foot.
>
>          Sometimes the sound of his breathing
>          saves my life=97in and out, in
>          and out; a pause, a long sigh...
>
>          7 PARDON
>
>          A piece of burned meat
>          wears my clothes, speaks
>          in my voice, dispatches obligations
>          haltingly, or not at all.
>          It is tired of trying
>          to be stouthearted, tired
>          beyond measure.
>
>          We move on to the monoamine
>          oxidase inhibitors. Day and night
>          I feel as if I had drunk six cups
>          of coffee, but the pain stops
>          abruptly. With the wonder
>
>          and bitterness of someone pardoned
>          for a crime she did not commit
>          I come back to marriage and friends,
>          to pink-fringed hollyhocks; come back
>          to my desk, books, and chair.
>
>          8 CREDO
>
>          Pharmaceutical wonders are at work
>          but I believe only in this moment
>          of well-being. Unholy ghost,
>          you are certain to come again.
>
>          Coarse, mean, you'll put your feet
>          on the coffee table, lean back,
>          and turn me into someone who can't
>          take the trouble to speak; someone
>          who can't sleep, or who does nothing
>          but sleep; can't read, or call
>          for an appointment for help.
>
>          There is nothing I can do
>          against your coming.
>          When I am awake, I am still with thee.
>
>          9 WOOD THRUSH
>
>          High on Nardil and June light
>          I wake at four,
>          waiting greedily for the first
>          notes of the wood thrush. Easeful air
>          presses through the screen
>          with the wild, complex song
>          of the bird, and I am overcome
>
>          by ordinary contentment.
>          What hurt me so terribly
>          all my life until this moment?
>          How I love the small, swiftly
>          beating heart of the bird
>          singing in the great maples;
>          its bright, unequivocal eye.
>
>          Jane Kenyon
>
>
>Copyright 1996 by Jane Kenyon.
>>From Otherwise: New & Selected Poems
><http://www.graywolfpress.org>
>-------------------------------------------------------
>
>janet paterson
>51-10 / sinemet-selegiline-prozac
>almonte-ontario-canada / [log in to unmask]
>
>------------------------------
>
>Date:    Sun, 22 Mar 1998 19:01:52 EST
>From:    Janet313 <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: re-post: clinical depression [cd] part 6
>
>-------------------------------------------------------
>From: janet paterson
>Date: 30 October 1997
>Subject: re-post: CD: clinical depression [cd] defined
>-------------------------------------------------------
>original posted on 18 July 1997
>-------------------------------------------------------
>
>dear syber-siblings
>
>i've had a lot of positive feedback on my 'perceptions' posts
>about clinical depression [cd - as i like to call it]
>
>as i understand it
>clinical depression is not simply feelings of sadness
>
>it is a chemical imbalance
>which can be triggered by stress
>and which can affect one's thought processes and emotions
>in the same way that
>the chemical imbalance of pd can affect one's mobility
>
>this is the clearest detailed description i've found on the web
>[from the university of british columbia, eh?]
>
>-------------------------------------------------------
>What is a Clinical Depression?
>-------------------------------------------------------
>
>Clinical depression is sometimes referred to as a major depressive episode=