Depression: Hard to understand unless youve been there

Recently I was speaking with a marketing executive who had spent a number of years on the human health side of his company before making the transition to animal health. We were discussing all the sophisticated ways he and his team learned about the motivations of human physicians-why they prescribed certain medications and how they felt about their patients with various conditions-when the conversation turned to depression.

He said that doctors, when they were really pushed to be honest and placed under the protective cloak of anonymity, would often admit that they didn't like treating patients with depression. Their attitude? “If I made it through medical school without having a nervous breakdown, they should be able to pull themselves out of whatever funk they're in and get on with it.”

And I think some-many?-veterinarians might feel the same way. In fact, one respondent to our 2015 dvm360 Job Satisfaction Survey, when asked to share a tip for dealing with burnout, compassion fatigue or depression in veterinary medicine with other practitioners, responded, “Put on your doctor coat and buck up.”

Callous as it might seem, I don't really fault this veterinarian for feeling that way. When I had a close family member going through depression a number of years ago, I tried to be supportive and understanding, but secretly I simply didn't understand why she couldn't pull herself together-at least enough to handle the basic activities of life.

And then a few years later I experienced a number of crises simultaneously in my life and pretty much fell apart emotionally-depression, anxiety and physical pain became my “friends.”

And then I understood the gray veil that depression casts over the world. The tunnel you can't see your way out of. The herculean effort required just to go to the grocery store for milk. The oppressive certainty that life is never ever going to be good again. I gained empathy.

Fortunately, therapy and support from friends and family helped immensely and my equilibrium was soon restored. But I never took it for granted again. And I saw the world-including the world of mental and emotional health-differently from that point forward.

The veterinary profession has been forced to grapple with these issues as research has emerged pointing to a higher-than-average risk and a number of tragic suicides have put faces on the statistics. We've pulled together some of the data, analysis and expert advice on the topic in this dvm360 Leadership Challenge, “The Burden of Care,” with the hope that the conversations will continue and whatever systemic pathology exists will begin to heal.

Those of us who struggle-whether chronically or just occasionally-may not be able to “buck up,” but we can all take steps toward wellness. I hope that for some of you, that journey will start here.