The first Thursday of October has been recognized as National Depression Day since 1991, when it began in Boston. Screenings are held at about 9,000 sites nationwide, which screen about a half million people, according to Tai P. Yoo, chairman of psychiatry at Kern Medical Center. A free clinic was held at KMC on Oct. 6 to screen locals for symptoms of depression and related illnesses.
Yoo is also the clinical professor and chairman of psychiatry at UCLA. “One in 10 people experience clinical depression in their lifetime,” Yoo said. Depression is felt because of a chemical imbalance in brain receptors, which control mood, he said, and the goal of the clinic is to find the signs of depression in order to properly treat the person.
“Depression is not a sign of weakness, it is a disease,” Yoo said.
A major cause of death among adolescents to adults is suicide that stemmed from depression. According to Yoo, the depression among this group is usually brought on by stress related to financial stability, career, being on your own, and uncertainty about life.
If depression is compounded with drug and alcohol use, it can grow rapidly worse.
Yoo said it is important to get help if you feel you are depressed. He said counseling and medication can help, but you can’t be treated for the symptons unless you want to be helped.
Symptoms of depression include low energy and concentration, trouble sleeping – either either too much or too little – and overeating or eating very little for two weeks or more. If these symptoms sound familiar, Yoo suggests seeing a school counselor or contacting a local clinic.