Depression

Vincent VanGogh's Self Portrait

One of the most famous depressive personalities in history was the famed artist Vincent Van Gogh. The 19th century European society of Van Gogh's day was not ready to accept his truthful and emotionally morbid way of depicting his art subjects. His internal turbulence is clearly seen in most of his paintings, which set the stage for the direction of a new style of painting called Expressionism. It is characterized by the use of symbols and a style that expresses the artist's inner feelings about his subject.

Therefore, an understanding of the paintings by Van Gogh requires insight into his turbulent life, because his style of painting is exemplified by a projection of the painter's inner experience onto the canvas he paints. In Vincent Van Gogh's own words, he said, "What lives in art and is eternally living, is first of all the painter, and then the painting." To understand an artist of Expressionism we must first explore their biography.

Many of us can identify with the roadblocks that Vincent Van Gogh experienced in his many career and romantic pursuits, all ending in failure. His reaction to these experiences however, demonstrates a biological and psychological abnormality, causing behaviors that alienated those around him.

As he became more isolated from society and began to pour all of his energies into painting, his eccentricities and outbursts developed pathological traits, which caused him first, to be institutionalized, and second, it led to his suicidal death at the young age of 37.

During his short and turbulent life, he sold only 1 painting for 400 francs, just 4 months before his death. It is titled "The Red Vineyard" (See painting below). Nonetheless, he produced an incredible number of masterpieces that will continue "living" for the rest of human history.

Causes of Depression

Depression has no single cause; often, it results from a combination of things. You may have no idea why depression has struck you. Whatever its cause, depression is not just a state of mind. It is related to physical changes in the brain, and connected to an imbalance of a type of chemical that carries signals in your brain and nerves. These chemicals are called neurotransmitters.

Some of the more common factors involved in depression are:

1. 
   Family history. Genetics play an important part in depression. It can run in families for generations.
2. Trauma and stress. Things like financial problems, the breakup of a relationship, or the death of a loved one can bring on depression. You can become depressed after changes in your life, like starting a new job, graduating from school, or getting married.
3. Pessimistic personality. People who have low self-esteem and a negative outlook are at higher risk of becoming depressed. These traits may actually be caused by low-level depression (called dysthymia).
4. Physical conditions. Serious medical conditions like heart disease, cancer, and HIV can contribute to depression, partly because of the physical weakness and stress they bring on. Depression can make medical conditions worse, since it weakens the immune system and can make pain harder to bear. In some cases, depression can be caused by medications used to treat medical conditions.
5. Other psychological disorders. Anxiety disorders, eating disorders, schizophrenia, and (especially) substance abuse often appear along with depression.

Who Gets Depression?

Although depression can make you feel alone, statistics in America show that 16% of Americans will have it during their lifetime. While depression can affect anyone, its effect may vary depending on your age and gender.

1. 
   
   Women are almost twice as likely to become depressed as men. The higher risk may be due partly to hormonal changes brought on by puberty, menstruation, menopause, and pregnancy.
2. Men. Although their risk for depression is lower, men are more likely to go undiagnosed and less likely to seek help. They may show the typical symptoms of depression, but are more likely to be angry and hostile or to mask their condition with alcohol or drug abuse. Suicide is an especially serious risk for men with depression, who are four times more likely than women to kill themselves.
3. Elderly. Older people may lose loved ones and have to adjust to living alone. They may become physically ill and unable to be as active as they once were. These changes can all contribute to depression. Loved ones may attribute the signs of depression to the normal results of aging, and many older people are reluctant to talk about their symptoms. As a result, older people may not receive treatment for their depression.

Depression Basics

Some people say that depression feels like a black curtain of despair coming down over their lives. Many people feel like they have no energy and can't concentrate. Others feel irritable all the time for no apparent reason. The symptoms vary from person to person, but if you feel "down" for more than two weeks, and these feelings are interfering with your daily life, you may be clinically depressed.

Most people who have gone through one episode of depression will, sooner or later, have another one. You may begin to feel some of the symptoms of depression several weeks before you develop a full-blown episode of depression. Learning to recognize these early triggers or symptoms and working with your doctor will help to keep the depression from worsening.

Most people with depression never seek help, even though the majority will respond to treatment. Treating depression is especially important because it affects you, your family, and your work. Some people with depression try to harm themselves in the mistaken belief that how they are feeling will never change. Depression is a treatable illness.

Life with depression

Working with your doctor, you can learn to manage depression. You may have to try a few different medications to find the one that works best for you. Your doctor may also recommend that you see a therapist and/or make certain lifestyle changes.

Change won't come overnight—but with the right treatment, you can keep depression from overshadowing your life.

Help Someone You Love

When people are depressed, they're not the only ones who suffer. Typically, many of those around a depressed person—friends, family, and loved ones—also struggle with the effects of his or her condition.

Watching someone you love fight depression can be frustrating and frightening. Remember, you can't take responsibility for someone else, and the decision to get help is up to the person with depression. But, there are things you can do. For many people with depression, a friend or loved one who cares can be their most important resource.

What can I do?

1. Learn about depression—its causes, symptoms, and treatments. Knowing about the condition will help you better understand what a depressed person is going through.
2. Do what you can to make sure that a person with depression gets medical care. Encourage your friend or loved one to stick with his or her therapy or medication. Offer to go with him or her to appointments as support.
3. Be supportive and patient. Listen to what the depressed person has to say.
4. Without being pushy, encourage your friend or loved one to do the things that he or she used to enjoy. See friends. Go to the movies. Take a walk.

Emergencies

If someone you know is thinking about suicide, don't ignore it. Do whatever you can to get help for that person. Get in touch with his or her doctor or therapist.

Avoiding burnout

Helping a person with depression can be exhausting and overwhelming. Here are some things to keep in mind that can help both of you:

1. Try to get other people involved in helping a person who's depressed, since doing it on your own can be difficult.
2. People with depression often resist attempts to be helped. It's okay to feel angry and frustrated, but don't confuse the person you love with the illness.
3. Depression isn't anyone's fault. It isn't possible to “snap out of” depression.
4. No matter how overwhelmed you feel, take time for yourself.
   consult with your physician or healthcare professional before using any prescription product.

Modern Day Stressors on the Job

In today's globally-connected world where businesses operate 24/7 (in most multinationals, it is called "follow the sun" - i.e. when Asia shuts down, then virtual teams operate from elsewhere so that customers are always served), work-related depression is on the rise.

As an HR practitioner with 32+ years experience in a Fortune 500 oil and gas organization, I have seen many situations where this happens. In my own organisation, the flavor of the day is the Matrix Organization. In a Matrix Organization, the support services (HR, Purchasing, Law, Accounting, etc.) provide support to the revenue generators (in this case, oil exploration/production).

The revenue generators are, therefore, the "raison d'etre " (reason for being) of the service providers. It means that the revenue generators pay the salaries of the service providers and if it is not for them, the service providers would not exist. The support services have their functional bosses (usually located at HQ) but locally, they are accountable to the Country Manager who is the organisation's face in-country.

The challenge then becomes the "push/pull" between functional and country calls. The service provider is expected to manage the directives of two bosses and if these directives are at odds with each other, then he gets mired in a tangle - between his functional boss (who writes his appraisal) and the local boss (who pays his salary and whose input is sought for the appraisal). Therefore, in this role, conflict management and negotiation skills are of utmost importance, but they drain the employee's energy.

Another stressor is the borderless world we live in today is where, due to internet and broadband, the employee is always at the end of a phone line. Employees are on call and even if they get compensated, family life is disrupted. Then, because of time zone differences, some teleconferences take place at ungodly hours.

Yet another stressor (in large multinationals) is what we call the "home office" concept. As private corporations are bottom-line driven, the objective is always to be able to deliver the same service at lower cost than the nearest competitor. The "home office" is implemented for staff who do not need to be in the office to do their work - e.g. sales, hence saving on real estate costs. So, instead of fighting traffic jams to get to the office, the employee can just directly go to his customer which could be, in some instances, closer to his home. He goes into the office occasionally for meetings or to submit claims.

The employee is given the facilities of an office at home (which must meet certain local standards with regards to safety, etc.). A "home-based" employee faces certain challenges which may lead to depression. Feelings of isolation from colleagues must be managed and more importantly, the "out-of-sight-out-of-mind" syndrome is very real; for salary increases depends on your appraisal and if your boss does not see your face, maybe he has forgotten about you?

Also, in this situation, the line between work and family is blurred. Children (especially younger ones) are a challenge for if Papa is working in his sarong, then he must be on vacation. The employee, therefore, must be highly disciplined to manage the situation. Then, there are other social problems associated with the husband being left with a young maid - but I will not even get there.

During the current economic crunch, it is more stressful because employees fear for their jobs. Given the widespread incidence of work-related depression due to globalization, multinational companies must implement work-life balance programs and caregivers need to understand the workplace of today to appreciate what their patients are going through at work.