By Carol Lucas
Dear Senator:
Having lived in Pennsylvania for 35 years, I still keep in touch with a lot that happens there. Thus when you began your campaign for Senator, I was intrigued. As that campaign heated up, as all tend to do, I learned more about you and the ideals for which you stand. Please know that I stand for those as well although this letter isn’t about politics.
When you underwent a stroke, I was heartsick; yet you battled back from this in a way that can only be described as valiant. I was a strong supporter from afar, often praying for your return to good health. And so, let me start this letter by saying that while I admire you for many reasons, perhaps the most laudable is your openness regarding depression. My experience with this demon dates back to the mid-70s when I was 37 years of age; thus I can relate as can millions in this country and around the world.
I can still vividly remember my first anxiety attack, which often accompanies depression. I was driving down West Liberty Avenue in the South Hills of Pittsburgh when it struck, and I was terrified. I recall praying that I could get home safely, and somehow I turned my car around and got back into my driveway with little memory of that accomplishment.
That was in 1976, and much later I jokingly referred to the fact that this was a time when “being crazy wasn’t cool.” I recognize now this was a defense mechanism; additionally, I also came to recognize that depression isn’t a joke. It’s simply the fact that back then very little was known, and the stigma was greater.
Ironically, my attendance at my job as a teacher never suffered in that I didn’t miss a day in the classroom. How I performed is foggy to this day, but I knew I had to have the structure or I would have fallen apart. Looking back, it’s amazing that I didn’t.
I recall my first day with my psychiatrist. I walked into his office (after avoiding this for three months) and dropped into a chair. I sobbed and told him that I was terrified I would always be like this. His response: “Carol, I make it a point not to provide promises, but I will go out on a limb and tell you that, no, you will not always be like this.” This was the first step in what became my journey from a dark place into one of light.
I’m going to include a few statistics, more for the benefit of others who may read this than for you, Senator, thinking you may already have a handle on these. In one publication, depression is shown to affect one out of 10 Americans. In another, our country of approximately 340 million people shows 17.5 million cases of reported depression. Only Ukraine is higher … Ukraine, a war-torn country!
There are many elements that contribute to one’s depression. I am not a physician; thus I am not attempting to come across as an authority, but what I found through research follows. First, genetics plays a role. Retrospect tells me that my father was a victim of depression as was his mother. My Dad lived at a time when few if any men would have admitted to being depressed – that was for fainting women on sofas, clutching a lace hankie.
But in recalling the personality traits of my Dad, all the symptoms were there. The chemical imbalance of the brain is also considered to be a cause. Certainly environment plays a role; neglect, poverty, mental and physical abuse are considered high on the list of reasons to become depressed.
The good news is that medication and treatment are readily available. That you, Senator Fetterman, have chosen to go public with your treatment speaks volumes about you as a caring human. And it is that trait, if nothing else (and I know there is a lot more), that makes you shine as a senator from my home state.
All of this may sound familiar to you, I don’t know. But what I do want you to know is that there are those of us who are cheering for you. We aren’t rallying around you with huge expectations, because that only promotes added pressure. Instead, we want you to get better, to get this under control.
When you have done this, for yourself and for your family, we then want you to fight like hell against all that confronts you in Congress. We need people with your dedication and resilience. We need you, Senator, but only when you are well.
God bless,
Carol Lucas
Carol Lucas is a retired high school teacher and a Lady’s Island resident. She is the author of the recently published “A Breath Away: One Woman’s Journey Through Widowhood.”
