Yvonnie Bailey- Davidson

Dear Counsellor:

I am a health professional and I have difficulty coping with depression. At times, I feel unhappy and worried.

I isolate myself and take the medication whenever I remember. I don't have many friends and my family has migrated to a foreign land. I am thinking of resigning and migrating.

- Ethel

Dear Ethel:

I would encourage you not to resign as it is bad practice to make major decision when you are depressed. Hold off deciding to migrate until your depression has lifted.

When you are depressed, you see only the negatives in situations and will make bad decisions which you may not be able to reverse. Your family is overseas, so you will need to keep in contact by telephone, email or by letters or frequent visits.

It is good to participate in activities in your church or in your community. You will meet new people and possible make friends. When you are focused on other people, you will distract yourself from your miseries and feel better about yourself.

Pill taking can be seen as a chore but you need to put the tablets on, say, the top of the fridge so that as you finished eating, you will see them. It is easier said than done but you need to take care of your health because only you can do that for yourself.

Depression is a common illness among various categories of health workers. Health workers have to deal with severe, life-threatening illnesses and death and dying on a daily basis. Decisions are made which affect the lives of people and can make the difference between recovery and death. The responsibilities in the various jobs can be onerous to some people.

it can be difficult

Health workers have a great difficulty becoming patients and usually are in disbelief about their diagnoses. Depression is a diagnosis nobody wants or likes to deal with. Depression can interfere with functioning on the job, at home or in our social life. Many individuals don't like to take medications for a variety of reasons. Taking medication puts us in the role of patients and bring into focus our mortality and morbidity.

Each human is susceptible to illness and need to take care of his health. It is amazing that health-care workers are telling patients to take care of their health, yet they themselves are non-compliant with treatment regimes. Some individuals don't like to visit the doctor and are reluctant to focus on their health.

The health system in your country needs to implement employee assistance programmes to help employees who have health-related problems. Recognition of health problems in staff and arrangements for counselling and social intervention will go a long way to improve the awareness and acceptance of illness by the employees.

Such a programme will provide for a healthier workforce, more productivity and decrease absenteeism. The work environment should be health-promoting and should enhance the physical, emotional and spiritual aspect of life.

Contact Dr. Yvonnie Bailey-Davidson at 978-8602 or email yvonniebd@hotmail.com.