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Don’t be afraid to speak out and seek help

To the editor:

Now that spring has finally arrived, many of us are feeling lighter on our feet and perhaps even lighter in spirit. Most of us have weathered the dull days of winter and are being rewarded with the renewal and rebirth that this season brings. It’s no wonder April has been dubbed mental health awareness month.

Unfortunately, there are many others who continue to slog on, trapped within a gray world, not able to experience the joy of this rejuvenation. Last week, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) released a troubling report: Between 1999 and 2014, the U.S. suicide rate has increased 24 percent. This data is unprecedented and it does not include service members returning from war. These are civilian numbers.

For women between the ages of 45 and 64, there was a 63 percent increase. For men between the ages of 45 and 64, there was a 43 percent increase. Typically, women attempt suicide (but do not complete it) due to utilizing more passive means such as over-dosing or cutting but men tend to complete through more aggressive means such as self-inflicted gunshot wounds or hanging. For both men and women who leave children behind, there is a 50 percent increased chance that their own children will also commit suicide.

Thanks to the pharmaceutical industry, we have all been lulled into the misconception that depression is nothing more than a “chemical imbalance.” Psychiatrists tell us that it’s our brain’s inability to fully capture and absorb serotonin. Drug and alcohol counselors educate us about how starved our dopamine receptors have become. It’s not our fault. Don’t worry. We have a pill for that.

But cutting-edge research has shown that depression, drug addiction, and suicide are not about chemical imbalances. They’re about negative childhood experiences which actually rewire our brains, determine how we view the world as either safe or unsafe, and how we view ourselves in that world. Neuro-scientists are calling this “developmental trauma.” If our early caretakers were inconsistent, abusive, neglectful, and unresponsive to our needs, we view the world in the same light. If they used shame and guilt to modify our behavior, we begin to view ourselves as unworthy, ashamed, broken, and helpless. Our caretakers’ view of us as seen through their eyes becomes our reality. Our essence. Ourselves. It’s no wonder that so many people feel as if they don’t deserve to live.

Early developmental trauma has been implicated in a myriad of mental health disabilities as well as long-term, physical health disabilities. The mind is truly connected to the body and developmental trauma has become the least-talked-about yet most-documented malady of our new century. I guarantee that if a loved one exhibits the following signs of depression, they most certainly experienced at least one childhood trauma that requires immediate attention. (Please visit the CDC website as well as the ACE Study website).

Signs of Depression (These can come on slowly, over the course of many months): Lack of interest in hobbies or passions, sleep disturbance (sleeping too much or too little), eating disturbance (eating too much or too little), hopelessness (nothing I do matters), helplessness (I’m not in control of my future), negative self-talk (I’m no good), irritability and mood disturbance (“snapping” at loved ones; no patience), guilt and shame (It’s all my fault; I can’t do anything right), excessive use of drugs or alcohol to numb negative feelings and active desire to die (You’d be better off without me).

If you or a loved one have experienced any of these symptoms, please call the Tri-County Crisis Line at (800) 929-9583 (completely confidential) or 911. You are not “crazy.” You are not “psycho.” You most likely have experienced childhood traumas. Call the number on the back of your insurance card. Invest in working with a qualified counselor. Don’t give up. Stop the stigma.

Natasha Ufema, MS, LPC, RPT

Lewistown

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