Jeanette Scott has no qualms sharing her family’s story. The customer service assistant at UC’s headquarters in Oakland talks about her sister’s suicide to peers and classmates, in the hope that it will drive others to seek help for depression.
Scott’s sister, Jackie, lived a hard life: a childhood marred by domestic violence, her mother’s murder at 14, an early marriage and divorce, raising two boys as a single mom, chronic financial problems. She was a domestic violence advocate whose cheery exterior belied a deep sadness and depression. She died by suicide at age 34.
Jackie didn’t have a broad support network and rarely spoke of her feelings to anyone, except Scott.
“You want to portray that you’re OK, that you can function in society, so people don’t look down on you,” Scott said. “We focus too much on not wanting to be the one who stands out. Had she been able to talk to people going through the same thing, she would have had more support.”
Depression is more common than many people realize. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that 9.1 percent of Americans have depression. At UC, campus Employee Assistance Programs report increases either in the number of employees seeking help or in the severity of symptoms, or both, over the last few years.
Yet despite the prevalence, depression has a deep-rooted cultural stigma attached to it that often prevents people from seeking the help and support they need.
American society prizes individualism, self-determination and the ability to pull oneself up by the proverbial bootstraps, experts say.
“Any kind of psychological symptom tends to be regarded in society at large as being a sign of weakness, that someone can’t handle what’s going on in their life,” said clinical psychologist Andrew Parker, who heads UCSF’s Employee Assistance Program. “Somehow depression is an indictment of someone’s character. There’s the belief that people should be able to buck up, shake it off.”
Psychiatry professor Andrei Novac at the UC Irvine School of Medicine adds: “Society sees people with anxiety and depression as failing. There is little social and psychological sympathy for them because, let’s be honest, depression can be very debilitating.”
What people need to better understand is that depression is very complex, said Christine Moutier, psychiatry professor and assistant dean of the UC San Diego School of Medicine. Depression can range from feeling mildly down to feeling so distraught that it becomes difficult to go to work or finish a project that was once considered enjoyable.
It is shaped and affected by interactions and experiences, and can therefore ebb and flow in a dynamic way over time. Losing a home, a loved one or a sense of job security are all experiences that can rouse stress, for example.
Depression is attributed to factors such as your genetic makeup, early life and current environment. People with a strong family history of depression are more likely to develop depression under stressful conditions. Others without a family history might require a lot more stress to develop depression or they may not develop depression at all.
“We need to get over the idea of any kind of psychological condition or illness being a sign of weakness,” Parker said. “These are things that any one of us could conceivably have to deal with. Nobody is exempt from stressors.”
Government and nonprofit agencies have launched outreach campaigns to educate the public, but more can be done, Novac said. Education should be more holistic and could begin in classrooms, he said. Everyone should have access to quality health care including mental health coverage, regardless of income level. Public and private employers should provide resources and foster a culture in which workers feel comfortable seeking help without worrying about losing their jobs.
At UC, many of those things are already in place. Each campus has an Employee Assistance Program that provides free, confidential counseling to faculty and staff. Some campuses offer added programming such as stress management workshops and support groups.
In addition, UC’s medical benefits include behavioral health benefits provided by United Behavioral Health Services, which will refer you to a local provider. The first three appointments with a network provider are free of charge.
After her sister’s suicide, Scott read book after book to educate herself about depression. She incorporated the subject into speeches she gave in class and papers she wrote while pursuing a psychology degree, hoping to reach those who might be too embarrassed to admit they have depression.
She was leery about speaking openly at first, but she found a welcoming audience on each occasion. In fact, others felt more comfortable talking about depression or sharing a personal experience after she told her story, she said.
Scott encourages people to not be embarrassed or afraid to seek help.
“Nobody wants to be the ‘depressed person,’ but it’s important that if you’re having symptoms, you speak to people who can support you,” Scott said. “Having a support system that understands what you’re going through and can offer educated advice is important. And people do want to help.”
Employee Assistance Programs on Every Campus
Employees experiencing symptoms of stress or depression can get help at their campus Employee Assistance Programs. Services are free and confidential.
United Behavioral Health Services (now Optum) will refer you for counseling services to a local provider. The first three appointments with a network provider are free of charge: 888-440-8225 or visit the website (use access code 11280).