One of my favourite New Yorker cartoons consists of two panels. In the first panel a drowning woman cries out to her sheepdog at the edge of the lake, ‘Get help, Lassie, get help.’ The next panel shows the obedient dog lying on an analyst’s couch. Getting help does not always mean subjecting yourself to deep psychological examination. It can be quite concrete. An overwhelmed mother might find it invaluable to get more help with babysitting or housework. An overwhelmed student might need some special tutelage. Depressed people – like all who are ill – often feel overwhelmed by what they have to do but are ashamed or reluctant to reach out and ask for help. If you had backache or hepatitis, you wouldn’t think twice about getting help so that your life might become more manageable. Well, depression is just as legitimate a condition, even if there are no X-rays or lab tests to demonstrate it. Part of getting better is accepting that you are suffering from a medical illness – depression. As one patient put it, ‘Just understanding what is going on is half the battle.’ Once you accept that fact, you will feel better about taking all the steps needed to help you feel better again, including reaching out to those who can make life easier for you.
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