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6 ARCHBOLD
MEDICAL CENTER
ARCHBOLD NORTHSIDE
will hold the fifth
annual Ride for Awareness on Saturday, Sept. 26, 2015. The
community is invited to gather for a 50/50 raffle, door prizes and a bike
show starting at 9 a.m. Bike show and raffle winners will be announced
at 1:15 p.m. As a way to honor and celebrate the lives of loved ones lost to suicide,
the Archbold Northside Suicide Memory Wall will also be available at the event.
“Suicide’s causes are complex and determined by multiple factors,” says Jim
Terry, Archbold Northside administrator. “But it’s important to know that suicide
affects all ages, cultures, socioeconomic and religious groups.” What you can do
as a family member or friend is to identify risk factors and recognize warning
signs early.
NO ONE
is a stranger to sadness. But
usually that sadness is fleeting.
There is another kind of sadness,
however, that can persist for weeks,
months or even years if left untreated:
depression. And its symptoms can be
so severe that it can make it difficult to
work, concentrate, sleep or even eat.
Should depression ever affect you,
here are three crucial things to know:
Depression is not a sign of a charac-
ter aw or weakness.
Rather, it may be
brought on by an imbalance of chemi-
cals in the brain. That imbalance may be
passed on by genes—as the tendency
to develop depression sometimes runs
in families—emotional stress, or certain
medicines or medical conditions.
“Depression is highly treatable,”
Ride for Suicide Awareness
poker run and bike show
Eugene Sun, MD
Psychiatry
Archbold Northside Center for
Behavioral Psychiatric Care
facts about
depression
says Archbold psychiatrist Eugene Sun,
MD. “And the sooner that treatment
begins, the better. Early diagnosis and
treatment can help keep your depression
from lasting a long time, becoming more
severe or recurring. Most important,
treatment can lift your spirits and help
you feel like yourself again.”
Typically, that treatment involves talk
therapy or medicines called antidepres-
sants—or a combination of both.
You’re not alone.
By some estimates,
more than 19 million Americans in a
given year find themselves coping with
depression. And while the condition is
never a normal part of life, it can happen
to anyone.
Know the signs.
Don’t let any mis-
guided embarrassment keep you from
getting the treatment you deserve.
Dr. Sun recommends that you tell your
doctor right away if symptoms such as
these persist for two weeks or longer:
•
Feeling sad or empty.
•
Feeling hopeless, irritable or anxious.
•
Losing interest in things you once
enjoyed.
•
Not being able to sleep or eat, or
sleeping or eating too much.
For more information on the Ride for
Awareness, or to learn more about preventing
suicide, call Archbold Northside at
229.228.8131
or email
pokerrun@archbold.org
.