Depressed or not

WHATS IN THIS BLOG:
• Feelings of uselessness, worthlessness, and depression.
• Dr Hogsett’s take on this.
• Some valuable solutions.
• John and an immigrant.
• Breaking news: test for clinical depression
• Staci’s FitBit.

Just to clarify: each of my blogs centers on one of three things: (1) Inspiration and Hope, or (2) Science and Energy, or (3) Health and Hiking. The last blog about stress and this one about depression fall into box number (3).

I WENT TO CHURCH LAST SUNDAY, AND WAS GREETED BY A TALL STATUESQUE BLONDE LADY. She was friendly and complimented me on my jazzy belt from New Mexico. I found out she was Dr Anne Hogsett from Coffeyville Medical Center, Kansas. She once wrote an article in the Independence Reporter about depression. She was answering a question from a lady who was 84. The lady asked a sad, sad question:

Dear Dr Anne, I am 84 years old and my doctor thinks I am depressed. I say I am NOT depressed, I am simply being realistic about my uselessness from here on out.

This caught my attention, because for several years I have occasionally asked myself the same sad question. I think after a person turns 60, this question does begin to intrude into their mind.

The answer from Dr Hogsett was directed to an 84-year old, but I felt like she was talking to folks over 60, and maybe even younger people too. I include below, as bullets, excerpts of her answer:
• If you know how to crotchet or knit or embroider…..call one of the elementary schools and volunteer to teach your craft to a child after school.
• If you are one of those lucky people blessed with a green thumb….. what if you taught one child the joy of gardening?
• If you are a strong swimmer…..teach someone that skill. How often do we lose someone in our lakes or floods because they are not strong swimmers?
• If you are a rancher or hunter or fisherman…… pass on that knowledge and those skills. They must be taught and taught carefully for safety.

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• In Independence, our wonderful head librarian is dying for volunteers, of almost any age.
• What if you nagged three friends into going for a walk with you every day?
• Be a surrogate grandparent. So many kids are struggling – take a kid to church, or just be there for support and guidance.
• Find a charity you want to support with your time, or effort, or money.
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TAKEAWAY:
• Age will no doubt be frustrating at times.
• But in your lifetime I bet you’ve already been through much tougher times than the stress of extra volunteering.
• Feelings of uselessness or worthlessness are cardinal signs of depression. But I guarantee you are NOT useless.
• Your wisdom and experience are needed by the community.
• And giving to others is a huge part of treating depression.
• Please don’t give up on yourself.

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I HAD LUNCH TODAY WITH JOHN, about 45 years old, who agreed once a week to walk 4 miles while teaching an immigrant from Columbia how to better speak and pronounce English….. so he can enhance his job prospects.

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BREAKING NEWS: TEST FOR CLINICAL DEPRESSION

Google has teamed up with a mental illness group to provide Americans with a test to check if you are depressed or mentally ill. People in the US who type “clinical depression” in Google search via a mobile device will now be invited to check if they are clinically depressed via a screening questionnaire. The partnership, announced Wednesday, has been developed by Google and the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI).

In a blog post on Google, the CEO of NAMI Mary Giliberti, said she wanted to use Google to increase the proportion of U.S. citizens who actually seek help for depression.
“Clinical depression is a very common condition, in fact, approximately one in five Americans experience an episode in their lifetime.
“However, despite its prevalence, only about 50 percent of people who suffer from depression actually receive treatment,” Gilberti said.

Google said those who click through from the search suggestion will see a “Knowledge Panel” which will give you an option to “check if you are clinically depressed”.
The test, called a PHQ-9, is described by the search engine as a clinically validated screening questionnaire and is designed to test what level of depression a person may be suffering.
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MY STEP-DAUGHTER STACI told me that the day before she clocked up 17,000 steps on her FitBit. Her eyes glowed, she was so proud. Now I’ve heard of 11,000 steps in a day, which is a pretty high number. But 17,000? So I asked Staci what activities she did on that day. Well, she said, I fed the chickens and the ducks, and collected the eggs. And I worked in the garden, pulling weeds and picking tomatoes and peppers. And I went to Walmart.

Nothing else, I asked? Well JC and I rode our horses in the morning, Staci said. Aha! The light bulb went on. Your FitBit was counting the horse-steps as well as your steps, I suggested. And the horse makes four steps to every two human steps. I leaned back. Your horse probably contributed 10,000 steps to your FitBit, and maybe you contributed the other 7,000. And finally, if a horse with four legs were to run, the number of FitBit steps would spike upwards.

Staci shook her head, but had to laugh. When I warned her with a smile: I’m gonna tell everyone I know about your 17,000 fake steps, her bright eyes twinkled. Don’t you dare, she said.
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The Gray Nomad ….. help someone to hope
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Let my teaching fall like rain
and my words descend like dew,
like showers on new grass,
like abundant rain on tender plants.
[From book of Deuteronomy, chapter 32].