Editors Column: Without Shame
June 2009 8 TrucKers News June 2009 8 TrucKers News T here was a time when I simply dismissed depression as a state of mind that is as easily corrected as tying your shoes. I often quizzed a close relative about why he seemed so melancholy. Just depressed, he'd say. Someone say something you didn't like? No, he'd reply, offering no ad-ditional information. This line of questioning would go on until we were both frustrated. Well, think of something that makes you happy and snap out of it, I'd offer at last. It was only after I married my lovely wife, Olivia, who would oc-casionally get depressed for reasons I couldn't put a reason to (other than having to put up with me), that I began to understand depres-sion as something much more com-plicated. We discovered her depres-sion, while never severe or long-term, was linked to her having diabetes. That's the thing about depression that many people like myself have a hard time understanding de-pression is linked to many different root causes. Find-ing out what is causing it means admitting to yourself that you have a problem that you need to address. If it's a major form of the illness, it may re-quire medication. But the good news is many other forms of de-pression triggered by stress can be treated with simple therapy some of which we outline in this issue. See page 20. There are many myThs abouT depression: Depression only affects Obviously spread by the males in our species. While women report being affected by depression twice as much as men, depression defi-nitely affects men also. In fact, men have a higher rate of successful suicide attempts than women. Depression will go away If de-pression does go away on its own, it's likely to be temporary. If you've had de-pression in the past, you're almost guaranteed to have it again until you deal with what's causing it. You can will depression away, As I said before, that was my the-ory, and I was wrong. Depression needs to be dealt with like any medical problem. Because of the rigors of the truck-ing lifestyle, drivers who suffer from depression are likely to allow the problem to go unchecked. That's both unhealthy and unwise. Unfor-tunately, even for those who realize they have a problem, there is an un-fair stigma associated with depres-sion that often serves as an obsta-cle for those who would seek help otherwise. There is no shame in having de-pression, only in not doing some-thing about it so you enjoy a happi-er and healthier life. Without Shame Seeking help for depression is a sign of strength, not weakness ediTor's jourNal ranDY griDer Randy Grider is editor of . He is the son of a career trucker and holds a CDL. He blogs regularly at . Write him at . The tragic story of trucker Jason Rivenburg is one that makes you mad and con-cerned at the same time. On March 5, the 35-year-old Ful-tonham, N.Y., trucker parked his rig at an abandoned grocery and convenience store in St. Matthews, S.C. He planned to make a delivery the next morning at a grocery store about 30 miles away. Sometime after 10 p.m., a thug fired two bullets into his head, leaving his wife a widow and three small children (his wife has since delivered twins) without a father. And the murder and rob-bery netted the coward who shot him a total of $7. In addition to the shooter, police have charged two other men with accessory after the murder. A proposed bill in the U.S. House of Representa-tives called Jason's Law hopes to provide grant money to increase secure parking for truck drivers in areas where parking availability is scarce. See page 14. Hopefully, this senseless murder will bring more atten-tion to the problem of truck parking in heavily traveled truck corridors. And maybe it will bring some comfort to the Rivenburg family that Jason's death was not totally in vain. Murdered for a Measly $7 June 2009 8 TrucKers News D epression is linkeD to many Different root causes F inding out what is causing it means admitting to yourselF that you have a problem that you need to address .