A Depression Check-Up

Depression is common but if left untreated can become deadly, not only literally lethal in the form of suicide or, more indirectly, leading to lifestyle choices and a lack of self-care that endanger physical health, but also in how it deteriorates quality of life and functioning in a more figurative sense.  The medical illness of depression results from a combination of genetic make-up and predisposition, life circumstances, and/or repetitive stress.  Depression is often ignored and few people seek treatment, believing it is something they can handle on their own.  Within the profession of law enforcement, even though most of us over time will know a brother or sister LEO who has taken their own life, depression is still looked upon with shame and embarrassment.  It is too often still seen as a weakness that classifies someone as incapable of being competent in their job, lacking the inner resources to manage its stress, and unable to cope with life. It has a stigma attached and, although this is changing for the better, there are still many in law enforcement not open to seeking help for a medical illness that will strike one if four people over the course of a lifetime, with no respect for what they do for a living or how tough they believe they should be.

What is depression?

It is more than just feeling the blues.  Everyone becomes sad or down every once in a while, but when it lasts for more than two weeks, then it is time to take notice and to pay attention to changes in behaviors or in how you feel every day.  The symptoms of depression are:

• Persistent sad, anxious, or "empty" feelings
• Feelings of hopelessness or pessimism
• Feelings of guilt, worthlessness, or helplessness
• Irritability, restlessness
• Loss of interest in activities or hobbies once pleasurable, including sex
• Fatigue and decreased energy
• Difficulty concentrating, remembering details, and making decisions
• Insomnia, early-morning wakefulness, or excessive sleeping
• Overeating, or appetite loss
• Thoughts of suicide, suicide attempts
• Aches or pains, headaches, cramps, or digestive problems that do not ease even with treatment.
• Mood swings
• Change in motivation or getting things done

Who is at risk?

Simply put: everyone.  Never think that depression could never happen to you because you are too strong or more capable than most; this actually may put you at greater risk of ignoring the simple signs when a depression starts to set in.  However, those with certain personality traits are at greater risk, with those traits being:

• Perfectionists who place high standards of achievement on themselves or others, and who are equally critical when those standards aren’t met;
• Those who worry about all the small things in life – the extremely detail-oriented - and are prone to being easily overwhelmed by those details;
• Those who have a belief that they need to always be in control or, if they are not, chaos will surely ensue;
• Those who tend to vent to others about the injustices that have happened to them, but do not seek out constructive feedback or solutions.  Instead, the purpose of their venting is for you to agree with them (which only fuels their low mood).  In essence, they are both the victim and the hero when they present scenarios where they have been wronged;
• Those who blame others for their feelings rather than taking responsibility for how they affected by situations or relationships;
• Those who are easily irritated or become quickly bored.
• Those who carry resentments and have difficulty forgiving;
• Those who see the glass half empty rather than half full;
• Black and white thinkers who live by a set of social rules that they impose on others and are easily offended and/or voice their opinion when those rules are not followed.

LEOs are at risk!

The simple truth of the matter is that a lot of LEOs possess many (or most?) of these personality traits.  Not all, of course, nor even a majority, but we all have friends and colleagues we can think of while reading through that list.  Some of you might even see yourself.  Policing draws certain types to begin with, and can exert great influence in the formation of opinion and worldview of those who enter it over time, even if they aren’t initially one of those “types” at the onset of a career. 

On top of that (or in conjunction, really) cops deal with unique stressors:  daily immersion into an element of the population intent on thwarting social control through criminality; repetitive stress in seeing the same types of calls over and over despite making efforts to truly effect change; a critical public and administrators – who often react to the criticisms and whims of that public – who dissect everything cops do through a lens of skepticism; bureaucratic red-tape seemingly designed to thwart efficiency and creative problem-solving; and frequent roadblocks to professional advancement and promotion.  Place these burdens on a young idealist from the very outset of a career and see what happens.

Treatments for depression

Depression is very treatable and the earlier someone takes steps to intervene the quicker the response to treatment.  If the depressed, sad, or angry mood has been present for weeks, months, or years, seek out the assistance of a medical professional, whether it be your Primary Physician, a Licensed Counselor, or a Psychiatrist.  Medical research is showing that depression treatment has a 90% success rate when a licensed counselor and a psychiatrist, who can prescribe medication if needed, are working in conjunction.  People will generally report feeling more like their old selves in 3 to 6 weeks.  The counselor will identify behavior and cognitive patterns that made you more vulnerable for depression and then challenge and motivate you to begin changing out those old patterns with new behaviors and cognitions.  They teach how putting the good behaviors into practice, over time, causes good feelings to eventually follow.  It is the repetitiveness of good behaviors that finally begins to heal the depression. 

Medication therapy is often needed to treat the lack of serotonin in the blood stream, or the bodies inefficient use of the serotonin it does have.  Serotonin is a hormone everyone needs to regulate mood.  The easiest way to know if someone needs to be evaluated for medication is if they report more bad days than good. 

Other steps to take are to talk with those you are closest to, such as a spouse/partner, police chaplain, a close family member or friend, or a pastor. 

If you are unsure of whether or not you have depression whether mild or chronic here is a link to a 30 minute test of 101 questions

http://psychologytoday.tests.psychtests.com/take_test.php?idRegTest=1308

And remember that depression is mostly a medical phenomenon, no more or less under your control than most conditions more traditionally understood to be medical in origin.  However, like many such conditions, once you understand what you face and how to deal with it, you can make lifestyle and cognitive changes to mitigate and even eliminate the disease.  Know yourself, and stay safe emotionally as well as physically.