Margaret: "Life is so much better"

Margaret,* 72, never knew she suffered from depression. Neither did her primary care physician. During a routine visit to her doctor, Margaret filled out a one page form designed to identify depression. “It really didn’t dawn on me that I had been depressed for a long time. I just thought, this is how life is.” Margaret took a while to be convinced. When she finally understood that so many of her problems – among them, not feeling worthy – were symptoms of depression, everything changed. “It was like a revelation.”

She met regularly for a number of weeks with a depression care manager. “It was wonderful to talk to somebody who was interested and compassionate. It was very therapeutic.” But Margaret didn’t really improve until she started taking an antidepressant at the suggestion of the depression care manager. It changed her life. “My marriage has improved. So has my relationship with my children. I’m more tolerant, and that’s helpful in any relationship.” She worries less about her two children, five grandchildren and six great-grandchildren. “Nothing is so dramatically negative anymore. I’ve always been pretty intense, but I roll with the punches more than I used to. It sure make life easier. It’s been a wonderful thing.”

Information for Patients IMPACT stands for Improving Mood: Promoting Access to Collaborative Treatment. The goal of the IMPACT program is to help older adults get effective treatment for depression. More information for patients...

Margaret continues to cope with family health problems. Her younger son was recently diagnosed with cancer. “That’s been kind of tough, but even so, I think I’m dealing with that better.” Sitting in her garden, in full bloom in late August, it is clear that she has a green thumb. But arthritis is making it more difficult for her to pursue gardening, her “great love and passion.” On the other hand, she has overcome a great many fears, including driving long distances alone, which has enabled her to regularly visit her grandchildren. “My mother used to say, ‘it’s hell to get old.’ But I try not to sweat it. I appreciate each day a little more. Despite everything, life is so much better.” **      return to stories menu

	Robert: IMPACT 'poster boy'

Robert,* age 75, knew something was wrong. “When I was depressed, it felt like I was walking very slowly through a deep swamp. When they bumped up my medication dosage, the next day it was like somebody drained the swamp. Anytime you can get a good night’s sleep, that makes a remarkable difference. That’s probably a good part of the problem right there. I knew I was on the right track. There wasn’t that sense of hopelessness and despair.”

Robert’s mental resilience was put to the test when, midway through his treatment, his daughter was killed in an automobile accident. “When I see the Twin Towers collapsing, that a good representation of what I felt like when I heard that my daughter was killed.” He has grieved but not succumbed to despair. A retired social worker, Robert has more energy than before and is working on an exercise program for himself. He is also volunteering at a senior center. “I’ve tried to raise their level of awareness about depression. I thank God for this study because it has enabled me to get a chance to improve my life. I’m a poster boy for its success.”     return to stories menu

	Patricia* : Getting back to her real self

“I am divorced, have six children – one passed away at 16 and his best friend remained in our family – and when I first started I was very upset with something he did, very depressed over a lot of things that were happening in the family, and the problem-solving helped me work it through, let it go”, says Patricia, age 64. “It wasn’t worth the money or the friendship or anything else. Then, I don’t know what happened but I became extremely suicidal.” Patricia’s depression care manager recommended adding antidepressant medication to PST treatment. “I am back to who I was and happy with it. My symptoms have all gone. There are no longer those terrible swings, up and down….Not only am I very surprised at the results, but at how fast they came around .”     return to stories menu

	Elizabeth*: "Handling things better"

Elizabeth, age 74, was referred to the IMPACT study by her primary care physician. “I was just grieving over my son who passed away. He had congestive heart failure and died last year on Good Friday in Buffalo, New York. I’m from Buffalo, and that’s where all my family is, and I just miss that family life. My daughter works and is divorced and I moved out to California, basically, to help my daughter take care of her daughter, picking her up at school and watching her until her mother comes home from work. In January, I was really down, would shake and tremble and all that, I have to watch my diet and take my medication and now have more good days than bad. Now I understand that grief can lead to depression and so I’m taking medication, which has helped level things out. Recently, I went back to Buffalo and went to my son’s grave, which I could never have done before, and am just able to handle things a lot better.” **
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* not patient's real name
** material adapted from material originally published in the 2002 John A. Hartford Foundation annual report. Used with permission.