Depression impacts all of life

Depression is a serious illness affecting millions of Americans. Those diagnosed with the illness report finding that it affects all aspects of their life, impairing their ability to sleep, eat, work, and get along with others. Depression has also been proven in most cases to damage one's self-esteem and confidence and interferes with not only the victims life but the lives of those who are around them.

Research shows that at some time in a person's life he will be affected by depression, his own or someone else's. According to a report called "The Numbers Count: Mental Illness in America," by the National Institute of Mental Health, depression disorders affect approximately 18.8 million American adults or about 9.5 percent of the U.S. population age 18 and older in a given year.

People suffering from depression come from all backgrounds and all areas, including Dunklin County, an area that local statistics show contribute substantially to the nation's total.

Kennett resident Carol Robison, points out that depression can exist inside of those you least expect, your neighbor, your co-worker, the postman, inside of those who always put on a smile and seem to be okay while living with the illness.

"I know this because I am living with depression," Robison said. "There are people that I know and have relationships with that are unaware of my condition."

According to Robison, society has a way of placing a stigma on those who suffer from mental illness and because of that Robison feels that many people are afraid to openly discuss their illness and tend to hide in the dark shadows that depression can create.

"I think that it is time that society wakes up and realizes that people with depression are no different from those who suffer from illnesses like diabetes or cancer," Robison said. "We need to understand that there are many factors that contribute to the illness just as in those other forms of disease I mentioned. It is time to stop worrying about being referred to or thought of as simply crazy."

With the help and support of friends, Myra Callahan and Sarah Burke at Family Counseling Center Inc. in Kennett, Robison went through a training that would give her the tools and experience she would need to facilitate a procovery group for others like herself who suffer from depression or other forms of mental illness.

On Monday, May 1 at 6:30 p.m. Robison will host a mixer to kick-off the new group which will meet in the Family Counseling Center clubhouse facility located behind the main building at 925 Hwy VV in Kennett.

Robison said that the purpose of the mixer is to provide an opportunity for those who are interested in coming to visit and discuss the procovery program and how it may benefit them and others. It will be a time in which interested individuals can gather and organize the specifics about the group and make decisions about an official meeting date and time.

"We want everyone to know that they are welcome to attend this group," Robison said. We want all levels, from moderate and mild depression to severe, and want to include not only those who suffer from depression but their families and friends in this process of procovery."

Robison revealed that though the initiative behind the group is to erase the stigma associated with depression, the group is completely confidential and no names associated with the group will be released.

The group will focus on all aspects of depression and other mental illnesses and focus efforts on how to cope with living with the illness and recover from its influences proactively.

Procovery is an approach to illness based on the understanding that sometimes healing has little to do with health, sometimes recovery in the traditional sense is not an option, and often we need to rewrite the scripts of our lives and reach forward to the largely unknown rather than the backward and unfamiliar.

Procovery builds upon the idea that everyone's situation is unique and embodies a set of specific healing strategies that can be applied by any individual. To locate specific information about the procovery approach visit the Internet website www.procovery.com.

For more information about the procovery program being offered in the Kennett area contact Family Counseling Center at (573) 888-5925.