Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: THURSDAY, October 5, 1995                   TAG: 9510050012
SECTION: CURRENT                    PAGE: NRV-2   EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY 
SOURCE: KENNETH SINGLETARY STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: BLACKSBURG                                LENGTH: Medium

DEPRESSION IS MORE THAN JUST BLUES THAT COME AND GO|

Mental health counselors also know that people sometimes suffer from depression, and when it strikes, it might be time for help. Depression, unlike sadness, lasts much longer, sometimes simmering unnoticed while it insidiously diminishes lives, counselors say.

Laurie Shae, a counselor at Counseling Associates in Blacksburg, compares depression to a voice in a person's head telling him how rotten and incompetent he is. Eventually, the person starts to listen to that voice, and its message becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Depression can be tricky, Shae says, because sometimes sufferers don't feel sad. But depression can strike anyone at any time. One in 20 Americans suffer from it each year, health care professionals estimate, and the lives of countless other people are touched by it.

Depression is characterized by symptoms such as disturbed sleeping and eating patterns, restlessness and tenseness, decreased energy, and a feeling that things aren't as enjoyable as they used to be, Shae says.

The key to combating depression, she says, is to be aware of the messages you send yourself.

"Sometimes it's helpful to realize one of the reasons you're depressed is because you go around yelling at yourself," Shae says.

Once sufferers learn to identify negative thoughts, self-help books and counselors can help with techniques to replace those thoughts with more positive ones.

Shae says she tries to "teach people how to be gentle with themselves."

She says although "we're still at the dawning age of knowing how the brain works," researchers recently have developed drugs that seem to be effective in the treatment of depression and other types of mental illness.

"Depression is treatable. No one needs to suffer," Shae says.

People who think they are suffering from depression or any other mental illness can get help from a variety of sources. Shae says a good place to start is the family doctor. Those who don't have a family doctor can contact Raft Community Crisis Center, with local offices in many of the New River Valley communities.