ReZoom

In Keeping with Mental Health Month this May, ReZoom is honing in on mental health issues important to those in midlife.

The Invisible Blues
When depression makes the headlines, adolescents and new mothers often steal the focus. Little wonder — there's the obvious hormonal context, the iPod angst of youth and the sleep-deprivation plus post-partum combo of new motherhood. But depression can occur in anyone, at any point in life. Increasingly, it's being diagnosed in people in midlife, although that diagnosis sometimes comes as a surprise.

"I was too busy to realize I was depressed. I knew I hadn't been myself for a long time, but I blamed my symptoms on the things going on in my life," says Diane R., of St. Paul, Minnesota. "My teenaged daughter was growing away from me, and we were constantly fighting. My mother's deteriorating health became a big issue. And at work, which should have been my escape, I was feeling out of place. I was suddenly the oldest person in my office, and I just didn't have much in common with my coworkers anymore."

Diane went to her doctor with a number of symptoms, including changes in appetite, low energy and persistent fatigue. She thought she might have mono. Instead, her doctor diagnosed hypothyroidism — and depression. "They definitely were connected, but once I talked with my doctor and did a little soul-searching, I knew treating the thyroid condition wasn't going to make me feel completely better," she said. "I had some things to work on."

Sooner or Later, Old Issues Rear Up
Dr. Ruth Cherry, an author and therapist specializing in midlife issues, says putting off problems often leads to them resurfacing in midlife. "We've developed a style for dealing with stress and depression in our early lives — denial through overwork, overeating, drinking, intellectualization, or in the trust that feeling our feelings brings healing," she says. "In midlife, what hasn't been resolved demands to be resolved."
Additionally, midlife often brings challenges involving work, family and health that can introduce stress or grief into an otherwise satisfying life.

These factors can become triggers for depression. For women, there is also an increased risk of developing depression during menopause. It's those hormones again. However, women should not accept depression as part of the natural menopausal process. It's an illness, and it needs to be treated.

Chemical and Congitive

For Diane, that treatment came in several forms. She began taking an antidepressant and started meeting with a therapist to develop coping strategies for stress. "She helped me understand that although some parts of my life were coming to an end, like my role as an active mother and as a daughter [her mother has since passed away], I was at a perfect point in life to begin new things." Diane took classes in stained-glass making and fine cooking, started a regular yoga routine that helped restore a physical sense of well-being, and now spends more time with a group of friends who share her interests.

Forcing positive change to counteract negative changes can be a powerful part of the healing process and can help shape a better life. "Accepting depression in midlife can be very meaningful and healing," says Dr. Cherry. "People come out of midlife with a stronger sense of themselves, maybe with new work and a new sense of purpose."

Visit ReZoom's archives for some solutions:

• Stressed or Blessed?
• Trauma by Proxy
• Fish Oil: Reasons Why

Also visit our health blog, The Wellness Report.