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Licensed Marriage &
Family Therapist
LMFT #30787
405 Chinn Street
Santa Rosa, CA 95404
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Healdsburg: 707-526-4353
Email: shonnie@sonic.net
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Recession Depression: What it is and How it Affects You
by Shonnie Brown, MFT
A Definition of Recession Depression
The term "recession depression" is currently being used to describe feelings of depression
and anxiety that are directly related to our national and local economic crisis. Feelings include
but are not limited to excessive stress and worry, shame, feelings of demoralization, helplessness
and hopelessness.
Symptoms of Recession Depression
One is likely to feel symptoms of stress and anxiety as well as symptoms of depression. Symptoms
of depression include lack of sleep or too much sleep, thoughts of self-harm or suicide, feelings
of doom about the future, recurrent thoughts of death, apathy or loss of motivation/interest in
life and feelings of hopelessness. Symptoms of anxiety include excessive worry and rumination,
panic attacks and fear of simply "losing it". Other recession depression symptoms include
excessive rage, severe stress in personal/family relationships, demoralizing feelings of shame and
compulsive behavior such as excessive drinking, smoking or eating. All of these feelings are in
response to a sense of loss of control over one's life and one's future. It is important to
understand that with appropriate help and self-care all the symptoms of recession depression are
treatable.
Pathological Responses to Recession Depression
It is most unfortunate that some people become completely despondent and don't seek the help that
is available to them. There are many reported cases in which people with recession depression have
acted in ways that are harmful to themselves or family members, often resulting in death. In
Mendota, California with a 41% jobless rate, alcoholism and crime are on the rise with unemployed
men wandering the streets. The national Hopeline telephone network for
suicidality
has reported the number of calls rising each month since November 2007. What is important to note is that the economic recession has
caused a general trend of downward
mental health spiraling among all segments of our population in a wide variety of ways.
The Relationship Between Economic Stress and Mental Health
In November 2008, eight out of 10 Americans reported the economy to be a significant life
stressor. According to Dr. David Spiegel of Stanford Center on Stress
and Health, a study done many years ago looked at the mental
hospitalization rates for a 100-year period and found them to be directly related to the rate of
economic depression.
Spiegel notes: "We've seen people in the ER, suicidal or depressed or both, because they've lost
their jobs. They have had a whole change in their sense of self-worth and they don't see a way
out. (Many people) are realizing, 'The life I had planned out carefully is different now. I can't
retire when I thought I would,' or 'I don't have the money to take care of my kids.' With all this
uncertainty, you know there's something bad out there, but you don't know the magnitude of it and
there's nothing you can do about it."
It is this uncertainty or lack of control over one's life which causes both the despair and panic
of recession depression. Occupational psychologist Cary L.
Cooper, author of "Theories of Organizational Stress",
notes: "Research over the last couple of
decades has shown that people who feel they have no control over the job they do are likely to get
a stress related illness. But for many people these days, jobs are just insecure... And this is a
major source of stress and a major potential source of stress related illness."
So we can only imagine the amount of stress one feels when one doesn't have the work needed to
provide a living for oneself and one's family.
Recession Depression and Sense of Self
When I think of the severe impact that recession depression has on one's self esteem, the word
that most comes to mind is demoralization, which the dictionary defines as "depression resulting
from an undermining of your morale" and "disorder resulting from a failure to behave predictably."
Our individual ego relies on a certain degree of predictability or structure to help one feel
tethered to the earth. Demoralization occurs when the ability to provide for the basics of
existence is taken away with no ability to repair. With this sense of demoralization, a downward
spiraling begins which makes the individual feel increasingly stuck and helpless to change the
accompanying sense of hopelessness and lack of self-worth. What is required when this process
begins is an increase of structure in a new form, increased hope and motivation. These feelings do
not return naturally. We must recreate them by taking certain small steps and building on them.
Rebuilding the Sense of Self
When one is at their most hopeless, pro-active strategies are required. Here is a list of some of
the things you can do to pull yourself up when you feel the despair of recession depression:
- Be aware that the stress of economic anxiety can easily turn into clinical depression. Get
help if you feel yourself spiraling downward.
- Talking about your situation helps. Seek a counselor, safe friend or a support group so
that you know you're not alone.
- Seek medical/psychological help if you have thoughts of self-harm, feelings of doom or
recurrent thoughts about death.
- Consider traditional antidepressant medications or effective herbs and supplements
specifically for depression.
- Be pro-active about your situation. Resist the tendency to isolate and withdraw. Do
anything that feels constructive.
- Talk to yourself positively even if you don't feel positive. Negative self-talk
never helps anything.
- Use a time of unemployment to explore new possibilities.
- Volunteer or enroll in classes or workshops to develop new interests or hidden talents.
- Pay attention to healthy eating habits such as reduced intake of sugar and awareness of
food allergies. An excellent article entitled "How to Avoid Recession Depression Naturally"
appears on the blog of Myles Spar, MD.
- Be aware of the affects of your depression on your partner, family and friends.
Relaxation techniques and meditation will help you take responsibility for your emotional,
physical and mental health.
If you need help with recession depression, please click here
for information about free Recession Depression
Workshops (PDF file).
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