How to Talk to Anyone (Junior Talker #5) by DeYtH Banger (old books to read .TXT) 📕

of People

 

That list is the official diagnostic model of depression. But it doesn't really get at all the various ways depression can present itself. In fact, certain groups of people may experience different symptoms.

 

 

 

Take children and teens, for example. Younger children may exhibit bouts of sadness, irritability, clinginess, worry or aches and pains. They may also refuse to go to school or be underweight. Teenagers may also feel sad and irritable, worthless or angry, or exhibit poor school performance. They may also sleep too much, lose interest in activities like sports or music, begin harming themselves or abuse drugs, alcohol or food. Young adults ages 18 to 25 are 60 percent more likely to have depression than people ages 50 or older, according to the National Alliance of Mental Illness, or NAMI.

 

Older adults may experience memory difficulties, personality changes, physical aches and pains, fatigue, loss of appetite, sleep problems, loss of interest in socializing and suicidal thoughts, especially in older men. There is still a belief that depression is a normal part of growing older. It is not, and should be taken seriously by loved ones who notice these behaviors.

In general, men and women are different regarding depression. Women are 70 percent more likely than men to experience depression, according to NAMI. Their symptoms are more likely to include sadness, worthlessness and guilt. Men, on the other hand, are more likely to feel tired, irritable and sometimes angry. They may underperform at work, lose interest in outside activities, suffer sleep disruption and engage in reckless behavior such as drug or alcohol abuse, erratic driving or dangerous sports.

 

Men are also far more likely to miss these signs of depression and suffer silently, without seeking professional help. What's more, they are somewhere between four and eight times more likely to complete suicide, according to Dr. William Pollack, an associate professor of psychology in the psychiatry department at Harvard Medical School, and a consultant at Cambridge Hospital and McLean Hospital in Boston. While females are more likely to attempt suicide, "When you interview them, most females admit [their suicide attempt] is a cry for help," Pollack says. "Males use more violent means of suicide, and my argument is they actually want to die. It is not a cry for help, it is a sense of failure that is so intolerable to their self-esteem, they want to be dead. As one patient who failed to commit suicide said to me, 'I failed at this as well.'"

 

 

 

The message for males, and indeed for everyone, he says, is that "there is no shame in being depressed. The shame is letting it go too far, and you lose your life and hurt those around you."

Chapter 8.2 - Wow Level (Part 2)

 Understanding the Link Between Stressful Occupations and Addiction

And how to cope.

 

 

 

IT'S A RITUAL THAT takes place at 5 p.m. on Fridays across the country: happy hour. Employees loosen their ties and their attitudes at the end of a stressful work week. Unfortunately, in some cases, the link between a stressful job and imbibing goes beyond the weekly happy hour. The National Council of Alcoholism and Drug Dependence gives some disturbing statistics:

Twenty-four percent of workers report drinking during the workday at least once in the past year. Of the estimated 14.8 million Americans who use illegal drugs, 70 percent are employed at least part-time. Twenty percent of workers and managers report that a coworker's drinking – either on or off the job – put their own safety in jeopardy. Workers who have alcohol problems are 2.7 times more likely than non-drinkers to experience injury-related absences.

The truth of the matter is, drug and alcohol abuse affects all industries and employment levels, leading to lost productivity, injuries, theft, absenteeism and even death. And one of the issues that fuels substance abuse is work-related stress.

 

 

 

What's the Link Between a Stressful Job and Substance Abuse?

 

There are a few factors that cause someone in a stressful job to be at increased risk for a drug or alcohol problem. They include the following:

 

Work pressure: When an individual feels pressure to meet deadlines and perform in a hostile or unusually fast-paced environment, he or she may turn to a substance like cocaine or Adderall to be more energetic and focused. Or, an employee may use more "relaxing" substances like alcohol or opiates to unwind after a hectic day. Peer pressure: "Hey, John and I are going to grab a drink after work – why don't you join us?" At the end of a tiring shift, it is all too tempting to say "yes." Plus, an employee may feel obligated to go out with co-workers for a drink – or a few – in order to strengthen his or her working relationships and/or to fit in. The job: All types of jobs can be stressful, but there are some careers that are more highly correlated with drug and alcohol abuse. These include mining and construction, first response (police officers, EMTs, firefighters and emergency room personnel), management, real estate, transportation, food service and nursing. These careers are linked with substance abuse for various reasons. For example, food service workers tend to work around alcohol and use it to decompress when their shifts are through. Some nurses turn to drugs and/or alcohol to cope with the high stress and long hours, and their close proximity to controlled prescription drugs increases the chances of becoming addicted. And the volatility of the real estate market means 10 percent of agents report having abused drugs or alcohol in the past 30 days. Shortage of good coping skills: An individual who lacks effective ways to deal with stress, such as a regular exercise routine or relaxation techniques like yoga or meditation, may be more likely to cope with work pressures by drinking too much or taking drugs. A vicious cycle: As a person uses more and more of a substance – be it alcohol, marijuana, methamphetamines, cocaine or a combination – that person will become less able to deal with work stress. As a result, the person will become increasingly more apt to turn to substances to cope, making addiction all the more probable.

 

 

 

Fighting Back Against Stress-Fueled Substance Abuse

 

With the link between job stress and addiction in mind, what's a stressed out employee to do to prevent over-indulging after a tough day or to get help if an addiction is already in the works?

 

1. Reduce stress in healthy ways. There are lots of different stress relievers that do not involve drugs or alcohol, including the following:

 

Exercise: Studies show people who engage in three 30-minute exercise sessions per week are less likely to suffer from depression or anxiety than people who do not work out. Healthful eating: Research also shows a healthy diet can help ward off anxiety and depression. More specifically, a stress-relieving diet includes omega-3 fatty acids (found in nuts and haddock, salmon and other oily fish), which are good for brain health; selenium (found in poultry, Brazil nuts, walnuts and cod), which decreases depression; and vitamin B12 (found in almonds, spinach, chicken and fish), which can help prevent mood disorders and depression. Mindful meditation: The art of grounding oneself in the present, mindful meditation has been shown to reduce stress and improve productivity. Employees can practice mindful meditation in short minute-long spurts at their desks.

 

2. Consider a career change. Over time, stress can do significant damage to the body and mind. When a job becomes so stressful that it negatively affects physical and psychological health, it may be time to think about switching to a different position or career.

 

3. Take an honest look. When an employee suspects his or her drinking or drug use could be spiraling out of control, he or she should ask him or herself the following questions:

 

Do I want to use drugs or alcohol when I feel stressed or upset? Do I daydream about using when I'm bored? Is my drug or alcohol habit causing me to fail to meet responsibilities at work or home? Am I withdrawing from friends or coworkers because of drug or alcohol abuse? Am I spending more money on drugs or alcohol? Am I spending increasingly more time doing drugs or drinking alcohol?

A "yes" answer to one or more of the above questions means it may be time to get some help.

 

4. Seek treatment. When work stress leads an employee down a path of addiction, in many cases, it's time to seek professional help. Unfortunately, too many employees avoid recovery treatment because they fear they will lose their jobs. However, the Family and Medical Leave Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act include provisions that make it illegal for employers to fire or discriminate against employees for undergoing addiction treatment.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chapter 9 - Not Funny Enough (Part 1)

 Robin Williams and Why Funny People Kill Themselves

 

 

by David Wong

 

 

You ever have that funny friend, the class-clown type, who one day just stopped being funny around you? Did it make you think they were depressed? Because it's far more likely that, in reality, that was the first time they were comfortable enough around you to drop the act.

The ones who kill themselves, well, they're funny right up to the end.

By now you know that Robin Williams has committed suicide, but I'm not here to talk about him. He's gone, and you're still here, and suicidal thoughts are so common among our readers and writers that our message board has a hidden section where moderators can coordinate responses to suicide threats. And in case you're wondering, no, that's not a joke -- I remember the first time John tracked down a guy's location and got an ambulance dispatched to his house. Then we all sat there, at 4 in the morning, waiting to hear if they got there in time (they did).

Because Cracked is driven by an army of aspiring comedy writer freelancers, the message boards are full of a certain personality type. And while I don't know what percentage of funny people suffer from depression, from a rough survey of the ones I know and work with, I'd say it's approximately "all of them." So when I hear some naive soul say, "Wow, how could a wacky guy like [insert famous dead comedian here] just [insert method of early self-destruction here]? He was always joking around and having a great time!" my only response is a blank stare.

That's honestly the equivalent of "How can that cow be dead? She had to be healthy, because these hamburgers we made from her are delicious!"

 

 

So I don't know Robin Williams' situation, and I don't need to -- I can go scoop up an armload of examples without leaving my chair. As one of the head guys at Cracked, I'm surrounded by literally hundreds of comedy writers, and I inhabit the