Letter to the Editor

Seek help for depression

Monday, January 6, 2020

Dear Editor,

Imagine quarterback Martinez racing down the football field when three or four defenders hit him almost simultaneously and several more pile on.

Silence comes over the stadium as he is carried off the field on a stretcher. No one knows if he'll be out for the rest f the game, for several games or the rest of the season.

This unfortunate situation is not only Martinez, but it also affects the other players, the coach and all of the fans.

When someone is attacked by several problems at once and he/she is the common denominator in all of them, that person is going to feel very stressed and may fall into depression. This is called a situational depression. If some or all of the problems are resolved, the sufferer can return to normal.

A good number of the farmers in Eastern Nebraska are suffering from a situational depression and ask that we understand and not attach stigma. Some of them lost their homes, didn't get a crop because their land has been covered with water, or worse yet, sand. They owe payments to the bank, don't know if next year will be better, deal with low commodity process and may not be able to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Surely we can relate.

The Bishop of the Lincoln Diocese wrote a letter to all the parishioners he presides over, stating that he was suffering from anxiety and depression and said that the Pope granted him a leave of absence to deal with his medical problems. He will be sidelines until he is ready to resume his duties.

He also stated that such conditions are nothing to be ashamed of, and can happen to anyone. He urged anyone who finds themselves in this situation to tell a trusted friend, a member of the clergy or a Christian counselor that you feel comfortable with. One brilliant decision from the Pope and one giant step for mankind.

There is a place in God where we can find peace and love. My life will never be trouble free, but I don't think yours will be either. I don't live continually in this place of peace, but I know where it's at.

If you have significant problems of this type, seek help. If you can't do it for yourself, do it for the people around you because you affect all of them. it is your responsibility.

God wants t work through you, so put your life in his hands. Consider Moses. He was a basket case and God used him to part the Red Sea.