As common as depression is, it is important to know how to address this mental health issue in the healthiest way possible. Treating depression is usually not a quick fix but if you’re willing to keep at it, you’d be surprised at the results. Treating depression usually includes a combination of elements, and no one element by itself works as well as all of them combined! There are many effective ways to deal with depression, including exercise, talk therapy, medication, natural supplements, and lifestyle changes. Learning about the treatment options will help you decide what measures are most likely to work best for your particular situation and needs. And another fact to keep in mind, research studies indicate that it is usually a combination of both talk therapy AND medication that brings the most effective results. And if you’re like most, the idea of talk therapy can feel intimidating and scary. As understandable as that might be, don’t let it keep you from taking one of the most powerful steps toward change and healing.
Prevalence of PTSD
Just how frequently is PTSD diagnosed? The National Comorbidity Survey Replication (NCS-R), conducted between February 2001 and April 2003, comprised interviews of a nationally representative sample of 9,282 Americans aged 18 years and older. The NCS-R estimated the lifetime prevalence of PTSD among adult Americans to be 6.8%. The lifetime prevalence of PTSD among men was 3.6% and among women was 9.7%. Thus, the diagnosis is by no means uncommon.
Depression in Los Angeles
The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health has issued a new report citing that nearly 14 percent of adults across the country report that in their lifetime they have been diagnosed with a depressive disorder. This figure is an increase of almost 50 percent from the nine percent who reported having a depressive disorder in 1999. Depression is a serious clinical illness that interferes with a person’s ability to function, and it can last for weeks, months or even years. Depression in Los Angeles, like in other areas of the country, places a serious burden on the health and well being of society. One reason for the disturbing rise in incidence may likely reflect a greater awareness about the disorder, rather than any actually increase in the number of individuals who suffer from this mental health illness.
Benefits of Therapy
The research on the effects of therapy continually demonstrates that the relationship between patient and therapist is much more important than the "brand" of therapy, that the personal qualities of the therapist are far more relevant to the success of the treatment than his or her theoretical orientation. There also appears to be temperamental differences among patients that suit them more toward one kind of treatment than another. Analytic, depth therapies tend to be a good fit with people who are curious, who like to figure things out for themselves, who have some tolerance for ambiguity, who are comfortable with emotion, and who have some intuitive sense that there are unconscious processes within the human psyche.
Grief and Our Bodies
One of the things about grief that often surprises people is their physical response. Physical sensations or some type of bodily distress is actually very common. Depending on the severity of one’s grief, or the suddenness of the news, common somatic responses can include hollowness in the stomach, tightness in the chest, tightness in the throat, oversensitivity to noise, or even breathlessness. Some individuals may even vomit, burst into tears, or see stars. These responses should not alarm you per se – they are not uncommon and reflect our physiological connection to painful feelings.
Growing Up Overseas
Have you ever known anybody who grew up overseas or lived in a country that was not their parent’s home culture? That individual may be a “Third Culture Kid.” First used in the 1960’s, the term “Third Culture Kid” was coined by Ruth Hill Useem, a social scientist contracted by the University of Michigan to travel to India to study the expatriates living there. In the course of her research, she began to notice specific enduring personality traits among the children of these families that were not shared by the parents despite the commonality of living overseas.
So what did she mean by “Third Culture Kid?” A TCK (Third Culture Kid) is an individual who, having spent a significant part of the developmental years in a culture other than the parents’ culture, develops a sense of relationship to all of the cultures while not having full ownership in any. Elements from each culture are incorporated into the life experience and personal identity of that individual. The following example may make this clearer. An American family with two children moves to the Middle East for the father to be employed as a helicopter pilot for an oil company. The American culture is the “first” culture represented in this family and the Middle East country they reside in is the “second” culture. The amalgamation of both of these cultures, embedded within the children’s sense of self, view of the world, and personal identity is the “third culture.” The cross cultural experience must occur between birth and 18 years of age - the period of time when that child’s sense of identity, relationship with others, and view of the world are being formed in the most basic ways. TCK’s have incorporated different cultures on the deepest level, as they have several cultures embedded into their thought processes and their way of being. Common populations where one might find TCK’s are families whose parents have had careers in international business, the diplomatic corps, the military, or religious missions. Others have parents who have studied abroad.
The two circumstances that are key to becoming a Third Culture Kid is growing up in a truly cross-cultural world, and high mobility. Instead of observing cultures, TCKs actually live in different cultural worlds. By mobility, it means mobility of both the TCK and others in their surrounding. The interplay between the two is what gives rise to common personal characteristics, benefits, and challenges. TCKs are distinguished from immigrants by the fact that TCKs do not expect to settle down permanently in the places where they live and are also different from individuals who may live in another country as an adult. While the latter may experience some degree of cross cultural adjustment and difficulty, their personality and sense of self is, for the most part, already solidified and stable.
TCKs also tend to have certain personal characteristics in common. TCK’s are often tolerant cultural chameleons and highly adaptable. As a result, TCKs develop a sense of belonging everywhere and nowhere, leaving them with a deep sense of not knowing where they belong and sometimes appearing wishy-washy. Asking a TCK, “where are you from?” can spark deep confusion albeit underneath the surface. Additionally, while TCKs usually grow up to be independent and cosmopolitan, they also often struggle with the losses they have suffered in each move, leaving them struggling with feelings of unresolved grief. Having to say goodbye to one’s African nanny at the age of nine never to be seen again, can leave a tremendous emotional impact, especially if one’s parents do not assist in negotiating those sad feelings. Moreover, TCK’s frequently experience confused loyalties. Because they deeply understand the complexities of their cultural influences, questions related to poverty, politics, and world issues are not always clearly defined. A TCK raised in Africa and living in Kansas, for instance, may experience some opposing feelings related to issues between the Western industrial powers and those of Third World Countries.
The above mentioned characteristics of TCK’s are in no way exhaustive but can provide the reader an accurate initial impression. Underlying issues of unresolved grief, the impact of broken attachments with early caregivers , and how concepts of identity and worldview have been impacted by cultural and mobility issues is worth considering.
