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sary dates” can become terribly significant markers which mar otherwise happy occasions. She pointed out that, for the family of the Prince William County police officer killed serving a warrant on Thanksgiving morning, the holiday will always be the anniversary of his death — perhaps never again to be celebrated as a joyful occasion by that family.
Mental health professionals say that for many people, the holidays can be a formula for depression. Often, however, the real problems do not appear until after the holidays. “They can hold it together through the holidays,” Mr. Rafala said. “They are determined to keep it together, deny the problem, so they don’t ruin it for others. But they they have problems.” That determination and denial, he added, “is as telling as the depression itself.”
The seasonal change in daylight hours, lack of holiday feelings, possible increases in alcohol and/or drug use, the isolation and lack of physical activity caused by winter weather; these factors add up to a marked increase in clinical diagnoses of depression during January, February and March, the counselors said.
Depression is a continuum, as are most illnesses, whether physical or mental.
Cancer is a physical analogy. Diagnose it early, and you may spend the afternoon in the hospital having a minor operation, or be treated solely as an outpatient. Let it go, and treatment may require longterm hospital care. Without treatment, it can kill you.
Depression, if left untreated, can kill as surely as cancer.
Symptoms of depression have been found to be universal, and the majority of cases evidence one or
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