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Life & Times Transcript
01/04/06 Announcer>> This Life and Times health care special is made possible by a grant from QueensCare, a public charity providing health care to the low income and uninsured residents of Los Angeles County. Val Zavala>> Tonight on Life and Times -- Depression takes all forms and so do the ways to treat it, and some old ones are making a comeback. Dr. Carlos Figueroa>> ECT is the most effective treatment, electroconvulsive therapy, the most effective treatment that we have against depression. It's eighty-five to ninety-five percent effective. That means that nine out of ten patients will get resolution of their symptoms during the ECT treatments. Val Zavala>> Also, what does it take for a man to admit he's depressed and needs professional help? Juan Mendoza>> I guess he heard me crying and stopped and asked me, "What happened to you?" I suppose I responded, "Nothing, man. I just don't feel too good." No, that's not normal. Val Zavala>> And then, it's supposed to be one of life's most joyful times, so why do so many new mothers get so depressed? These stories and more next on this Life and Times health care special. Announcer>> Life and Times is made possible through the generous support of the L.K. Whittier Foundation dedicated to improving the quality of life by supporting innovative endeavors in the fields of medicine, health, science and education. And by a generous grant from Jim and Anne Rothenberg. Val Zavala>> Welcome to this Life and Times special where we take a look at something that affects more than thirty million Americans: depression. Now if you have ever been depressed to the point where you might need help, the question is, where do you start? As you'll see, these days depression is treated with everything from pills to poodles and, as Anne McDermott tells us, there's even a form of electroshock therapy that is making a comeback and a difference. Anne McDermott>> Life is like this sometimes. Depressing, huh? But, hey, nothing a box of chocolates can't cure, right? Wrong. You see, there is depression and then there is depression, a state of mind that is one of the crueler tricks our bodies and our minds can play on us. George Griffith knows all about depression, severe clinical depression, so we'll let him describe it to you. George Griffith>> Severe depression for me is being without hope. You just don't have any hope and, when you take that away, your life is just -- you're just dead. Anne McDermott>> Griffith is hardly alone. In this country, how many people are affected by depression? Dr. Carlos Figueroa>> The most current statistics that I've heard, I think they date back about a year or two ago. Those statistics state that thirty-four million Americans suffer from major depression. Anne McDermott>> Sadly, most don't seek treatment even though most can be helped with therapy, for example. Dr. Carlos Figueroa>> Patients who are non-psychotic and depressed usually do very well with therapy. Anne McDermott>> It didn't work the one time George Griffith tried it and that's because he was just a child accompanied by his parents, the very people who'd caused his depression by sexually and mentally abusing him. Still, he liked talking to that psychiatrist. George Griffith>> He just asked me everything about my life and I told him and then he called my parents in and he was real sweet to me, smiled and was just really sweet. He called them in and I immediately heard yelling and screaming and they ran out the door and grabbed me. To this day -- I was very young. I couldn't have been more than, say, seven or eight. I remember my mother saying, "We're never doing this again" and that was the last time. Anne McDermott>> That was back in the 1950's when child abuse was hidden and mental problems were unmentionable. It was also a time of grizzly forms of treatment that have since been demonized in popular culture. Remember Randall McMurphy's lobotomy in 1975's "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest"? Lobotomies were mostly performed in the 1930's through the 1950's and even beyond. Rosemary Kennedy, sister to JFK, had one and was never able to care for herself again. Another relic of the era: electroshock therapy. Writer Sylvia Plath wrote of her scary session in "The Bell Jar". But those days are gone, right? Well, not exactly. This is an ECT machine, or electroconvulsive therapy machine, the successor to electroshock therapy. George Griffith was asked to try this treatment. He knew all about the horror stories, but he knew he'd give it a try. Griffith said the machine didn't hurt or harm him. George Griffith>> When I wake up, I'm just a little bit groggy, but I immediately feel a difference in how I feel as far as elation of mood, that my mood is higher, more positive, more up. I immediately feel that after ECT. Anne McDermott>> Dr. Carlos Figueroa says electroconvulsive therapy is not the electroshock of old. Dr. Carlos Figueroa>> ECT is the most effective treatment, electroconvulsive therapy, the most effective treatment that we have against depression. It's eighty-five to ninety-five percent effective. That means that nine out of ten patients will get resolution of their symptoms during the ECT treatments. Anne McDermott>> It's not for everyone. Remember, Griffith has suffered from major depression for most of his life. George Griffith>> Oh, yes, definitely. Anne McDermott>> Years? George Griffith>> Yes. Anne McDermott>> Decades? George Griffith>> Yes, yes. Anne McDermott>> More people can treat their depression with drug therapy. Dr. Carlos Figueroa>> Within the last, you know, fifteen years with the advent of Prozac, there was a major change in the development of medications, in particular to the side effects. Anne McDermott>> Modern drugs have fewer side effects and less debilitating side effects. However, like the older medications, they are still only effective for about sixty-five percent of those who take them. But since more people can take them, more people are helped. Dr. Carlos Figueroa>> The combination of medications and therapy is really the best way to go. I encourage all my patients to not only take medications, but to enter into therapy. Anne McDermott>> Mild depression can also be helped by exercise. Most doctors agree with that and it's certainly something America's best known scientologist advocates, but scientology also opposes psychiatric drugs and psychiatric counseling, treatments that are endorsed by the government's National Institute of Mental Health. And here's yet another form of depression therapy. Yes, Jett, the poodle, is a bona fide antidepressant. Look carefully. In all that fur is the friendly face of a certified therapy dog. Among other duties, Jett visits children who might be a little depressed at the prospect of facing the holidays or any days in a hospital. Logan Ramirez is not particularly depressed, but even she says this guy simply makes her feel better. Logan Ramirez>> Yeah. Anne McDermott>> Why? Logan Ramirez>> Because it feels good just to pet a dog. Anne McDermott>> And pediatric nurse, Debbie Jury, says studies back up such therapy. Debbie Jury>> Such as the dog, and we do know that we've had kids like this that we've had the dogs go visit them and they will spend a long period of time with these children, sometimes up to an hour, and afterwards the kids report that they feel better, they take less pain medications, they get up, they participate in therapies that they weren't doing before. [Film Clip] Anne McDermott>> So where does a depressed person start? With a doctor who can help determine the severity of the depression and the proper treatment. And no matter how bad things seem, there is treatment out there, treatment that may work for you. Just ask George Griffith. He is still getting ECT treatments. Most severely depressed individuals do require multiple sessions, but Griffith's life is changing and so is his outlook. Today do you have hope? George Griffith>> Sometimes I do. I actually do have hope. Anne McDermott>> I'm Anne McDermott for Life and Times. Announcer>> Kcet.org is the place to look for the very latest on Life and Times. You'll find previews of upcoming stories, transcripts and audio of past episodes and links to some of our most interesting features. Just go to kcet.org and click on "Life and Times". Val Zavala>> For some people, simply admitting they're depressed is a form of weakness. Men overall are much more reluctant to get treatment than women. Sam Louie brings us the story of one man who let his pride get in the way of treatment and it cost him dearly. Dr. Alex Kopelowicz>> "Hi, John, how are you?" Sam Louie>> Dr. Alex Kopelowicz is a psychiatrist and medical director at the San Fernando Mental Health Center in Granada Hills. Dr. Alex Kopelowicz>> "Are you doing okay at work?" Sam Louie>> He treats both men and women and estimates that forty percent of his patients suffer from depression, but he says that men are much more likely to dismiss their symptoms or deny them. Dr. Alex Kopelowicz>> They'll see it much more the physical ailment of some sort. They'll notice, for example, a lack of energy, difficulty sleeping, a lack of appetite, headaches, stomach aches, a variety of other somatic complaints. That's how they'll experience it when in reality what is occurring is that they're having a major depressive episode. Sam Louie>> That was the case for Juan Mendoza of Pacoima. Juan Mendoza>> I know right now it was not normal. I was sleeping like fourteen or sixteen hours and sometimes you're not eating at all, sometimes you're eating too much. Sam Louie>> Juan is a husband and father of six. He worked for twenty years as a licensed cutter in the garment industry. Then several years ago, he was fired and he took it out on his family. Juan Mendoza>> Some people get mad. Like me, I got pissed off for nothing and started yelling at them and one time I go up to jail because of domestic violence. Sam Louie>> Shortly afterwards in 2001, his wife and six children left him. Juan Mendoza>> To me, it was like somebody who get his head inside of me and get my heart away. Sam Louie>> So it felt like your heart was ripped out of your body? Juan Mendoza>> Yeah, yeah. It was hard. Sam Louie>> So why did Juan's life fall apart? It started with drinking as a teenager. Over time, he also started using marijuana and cocaine and racked up two DUIs. At work, he had a hard time concentrating and was confused, sad and angry. Juan had slid into a major depression. Researchers estimate that six million men in the United States suffer from depression. Compared to women, men are also four times more likely to commit suicide. Because of this alarming rate, there's a growing push to educate the public about the dangers of depression. Shaun Colten>> "You're sitting there looking at something that used to make you laugh and all you want to do is cry." Patrick McCathern>> "But then you wake up the next day and it's still there." Sam Louie>> These public service announcements are part of a bigger campaign by the National Institute of Mental Health to spread the word on men's depression. It's called "Real Men. Real Depression". Dr. Alex Kopelowicz>> "Real Men. Real Depression" tries to get out the whole fact that this is not something that is a sign of weakness. Real men, men who are as masculine as anyone else, can be hit with this biological-based disorder. It is not a sign of weakness or of inability to deal with your problems. It is an illness like any other illness, except it targets the brain. Sam Louie>> After Juan's family left him, his life continued to spiral downward. Then a friend urged him to get checked out. Juan Mendoza>> I guess he heard me crying and stopped and asked me, "What happened to you?" I suppose I responded, "Nothing, man. I just don't feel too good." No, no, that's not normal. Sam Louie>> Juan walked into a clinic run by Los Angeles County's Department of Mental Health where he met Steven Avila. Avila is Juan's case manager and therapist. Steven Avila>> I think at that point he had pretty much reached the bottom of the barrel where he just was not able to function as the person he once was used to. He came in very withdrawn, tearful, not really sure what had happened, why he's not able to just function the way he used to. Sam Louie>> Juan started counseling and joined an alcohol treatment program. That was more than a year ago. Juan Mendoza>> And it's working, man. I feel better. I feel at least seventy-five or eighty percent of my capacity is okay. Sam Louie>> It was especially difficult for Juan to ask for help, as a man and a Latino. Rodolfo Palma-Lullon>> "Being Latino made it harder because there's a silence over me. There's just things that you don't talk about." Sam Louie>> That's why the depression awareness campaign targets Latinos who historically do not ask for help. Steven Avila>> I think the machismo factor plays a significant role, unfortunately, in the Hispanic community. To ask for help, I think, unfortunately, sometimes they see that as a weakness and aren't willing to resort to that. Sam Louie>> For Juan, it was only through therapy that his long-held feelings of loneliness and abandonment began to emerge. Juan confided to this therapist that he never knew his father. His father was murdered while Juan was just a baby, so he was raised by his grandfather who Juan thought was his dad. But when he was seven, his grandfather revealed the truth and the truth was too much for Juan. Juan Mendoza>> Well, where was my dad, you know? Why me? Everybody all got dads and moms and cuddle with them. Why not me? Steven Avila>> Just being able to vent and discuss some of these inside feelings that he was never able to talk about, it's really helped his motivation. Recently he's been more motivated, more energized, simply because he's had a place to go to where he can discuss these feelings and not feel judged and feeling like this is normal. A lot of people do go through severe depression and he's not alone. Sam Louie>> Juan finally understood that it was his loss that caused so much pain. There are still plenty of challenges ahead such as holding down a steady job, but he's made significant progress. Juan Mendoza>> Well, I got almost two years sober and no more weed, no more cocaine, no more alcohol, thanks to the group. Sam Louie>> And he's rebuilding his relationship with his family. Juan Mendoza>> Well, this is behind me, you know. I'm starting like a new life again. Sam Louie>> Starting a new life over so that you can -- Juan Mendoza>> -- yeah, I can be a father, a real father, yeah, yeah. Sam Louie>> A father who is learning that being a real man means coming to terms with real depression. I'm Sam Louie for Life and Times. Announcer>> To send a comment or a question to our program, you can reach us by mail at this address: Life and Times 4401 Sunset Blvd. Los Angeles, California 90027 You can also call our viewer comment line (323) 953-5555) or contact us the fast way by e-mail at kcet.org. Val Zavala>> What could be more wonderful than bringing a new baby home from the hospital? Yet, for one in five women, this time is shrouded in depression. It hit one woman so hard that she made it her mission to dispel what she calls "the myth of motherhood". Hena Cuevas takes a closer look at post-partum depression. Hena Cuevas>> When baby Charlie was born almost two years ago, everything was going well for first-time mother, Emily Elliott. [Film Clip] Hena Cuevas>> But then, like many new moms, she began to have moments of doubt. Emily Elliott>> Of course, there's a lot of joy and happiness, but at the same time, there's a lot of fear that I wasn't doing everything right or the breast feeding wasn't perfect. Hena Cuevas>> She thought it was all part of the adjustment period, that she was just suffering from the "baby blues", as they call it. Emily Elliott>> I think when about three or four weeks came around, I started really questioning if the feeling was going to go away. I started having a lot of doubts, a lot of thoughts that, you know, would pop up in my head that were uncomfortable and a lot of fears. Hena Cuevas>> Those fears got so bad that she and her husband, Brad, decided to get help. Brad Elliott>> In terms of mothering, she was doing a great job throughout. That was why it was so difficult to go seek help because the actual mothering part wasn't a problem. It was her perception of her mothering and then it really started to escalate. There was lack of sleep, wasn't eating. Those were major signs. The original one was a lot of self-doubt. Hena Cuevas>> But it wasn't the baby blues. Emily was diagnosed with post-partum depression, a serious mental condition that sometimes arises after a woman has given birth. Diana Barnes>> Post-partum depression is an illness. Hena Cuevas>> Diana Barnes is a family and marriage therapist specializing in post-partum depression. She says new moms face a lot of pressures, including having to deal with what she calls the myth of motherhood, ideas of what society considers is a good mother. Diana Barnes>> We buy into these myths like this is the happiest time of your life when, in fact, it's probably one of the most stressful and anxiety-producing times in the life of a family. Hena Cuevas>> To battle these misconceptions, Barnes started a class three years ago called Transition to Parenthood. Diana Barnes>> "So there is no perfect baby and there is no perfect mother and there is no perfect father." Hena Cuevas>> Every two months, expecting parents come to listen about what it's going to be like having a new baby in their lives. Diana Barnes>> "Now you never thought that something so little could be calling the shots, but he or she or they will be." >> "It's a little different than when we bought our puppy home. (Laughter)" Hena Cuevas>> According to Barnes, men also buy into society's expectations on parenthood. Diana Barnes>> "What's a good father?" Bill Ross>> "My dad -- I've been very blessed. I mean, my dad has been there for me every step of the way, you know." Diana Barnes>> "So a good father is available or mostly available?" Bill Ross>> "Yeah, yeah." Hena Cuevas>> Thirty-six year old Bill Ross and his wife Jean are having their first child in April and they're doing everything they can to get ready. Jean Ross>> I really want to be a good mother, you know, whatever that takes and that's something I guess I'll have to learn on the way in raising my child. Diana Barnes>> "This period after that baby comes is about dramatic loss. There's a loss of freedom as you knew it. There's a loss of familiar routine and scheduling. There's a loss of time. There's a loss of adult companionship." For many women, what they end up telling themselves is there must be something wrong with me. I'm not feeling the way I've been told I was supposed to feel. If I'm a new mother, how can I differentiate between just a period of adjustment or how do I know if what I'm feeling is actually true depression? If past weeks post-partum a mom is feeling as though she cannot cope, that she's so overwhelmed that she's unable to cope, if she's feeling disconnected and detached from that baby, these are some of the signs that there may be depression brewing. Hena Cuevas>> And the statistics are staggering. Nearly twenty percent of all pregnant women will suffer from some form of post-partum depression. But if left untreated, according to Barnes, the odds of that woman suffering from depression again on a subsequent pregnancy increases by almost eighty percent. That's why she says it's very important for both women and their partners to be on the lookout for certain symptoms which may be indicators for depression. Bill Ross>> I know that there's like lack of sleep. I mean, there are different symptoms and I know Jean has the paperwork too that there are certain things that are triggered. You know, I know some of the things, that she's been having trouble sleeping. Hena Cuevas>> During the class, Barnes hands out a list of things to look for like not being able to sleep, lack of appetite or, even worse, feeling no emotional connection with the baby. Diana Barnes>> So in a severe post-partum depression, we will even see things like a mother's actual detachment from her infant so that many mothers will describe it as going through the motions. I'm doing what I know I'm supposed to do as a mother, but I'm feeling absolutely no connection with my infant. Hena Cuevas>> And Barnes understands. Thirteen years ago, she suffered from a deep sadness and disconnect after the birth of her daughter. Diana Barnes>> When she was born, I was a therapist and even I didn't know what was happening to me. Hena Cuevas>> It was post-partum depression. But because it went untreated, she says, she was hospitalized four times and that's why she's made it her mission to spread the word. Diana Barnes>> But none of the childbirth classes addressed the psychological components for parents and I find that the parents who come and take my class are relieved and delighted to have an opportunity to talk about themselves. >> "Like counting down to our due date. We have like five or six weeks and each weekend, if I don't do like a whole bunch of exciting stuff, I feel like I didn't make the most of that weekend. (laughter)" Hena Cuevas>> The Elliotts understand the risks all too well, but they say they're ready. Something that's very important, considering Charlie will soon be getting a little brother. The Elliotts are having another baby next April. Emily Elliott>> But this time, I know what to expect. I mean, I know what it's going to be like for the most part. Of course, everything will be different the next time, but I'm not so scared this time because I'm staying open to getting help. If I know something comes up, I will immediately know what to do. Brad Elliott>> I wouldn't wait nearly as long this time as well. I mean, any feeling. I think Emily too. I think now that she knows that there's no shame and that getting help is what you should do, I'm not nervous really. Hena Cuevas>> Emily is currently getting help to make sure the depression doesn't affect her this time around. Emily Elliott>> I started going to counseling throughout the post-partum depression period and I'm staying with that. I'm taking medication which I was very nervous about, but I know it's better for me to do that than take the risk of being depressed and anxious. You know, I want to be ready for it. Hena Cuevas>> And it's also a way for her to make sure that, when that second baby arrives, it will be a joyful and exciting time for everyone. [Film Clip] Hena Cuevas>> I'm Hena Cuevas for Life and Times. Val Zavala>> For transcripts of the stories you saw tonight and for links and resources related to depression, you can go to our website at kcet.org. Scroll down to "Life and Times" and click on the health page. And that's our program. I'm Val Zavala. For everyone at Life and Times, thanks for watching. We'll see you next time. Announcer>> This Life and Times health care special was made possible by a grant from QueensCare, a public charity providing health care to the low income and uninsured residents of Los Angeles County. By the L.K. Whittier Foundation dedicated to improving the quality of life by supporting innovative endeavors in the fields of medicine, health, science and education. And by a generous grant from Jim and Anne Rothenberg. Val Zavala>> Next time on Life and Times -- There are some major changes in the works for Griffith Park, but who decides what needs to be changed? >> Because I saw the original idea that said a tram from the Toyon Canyon to the dune. That's unacceptable. It doesn't work. A culinary school or a hotel should not have been in there. A thing called the Pleasure Pier over the river should not have been in there. Val Zavala>> That's next time on Life and Times. Sponsored in part by:  | |
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