Inkwell: Authors and Artists

    
Things like what?
  

    

I wasn't very clear -- I realize that the events of 9/11 are horrible and
(I sincerely hope) one of a kind. But are there other instances where PTSD
and anxiety and depression have hit en masse and affected the American
workplace?
  

    
The Kennedy assasination perhaps? The stock market crash in '29? The
space shuttle explosion? 
  

    

I just want to note that the past two weeks have simply flown by, and this 
has been a fascinating discussion.  Don't let me stop you.  I just want to 
thank Fawn and Beth for joining us, and Molly for leading the discussion 
into such interesting and thought-provoking territory.

You are welcome to contine for as long as you like.
  

    
Let me jump in here with a couple of thoughts.  First, Betsy raises
some good examples of events.  I personally remember the Kennedy
Assassination of 11/22 because it's my birthday.  Others to consider
that are directly related to terorism are the ones all throughout the
Clinton era.  And let's not forget Oklahoma City.  While I believe the
"event" itself may not be the cause of one's depression, some of the
symptoms or backlash from these kinds of events, may certainly
contribute to one's depression and/or lack of sense of safety/security.
 If basic needs aren't being met (safety, security, etc), then
depression would not be uncommon.  

I actually wouldn't be surprised if this whole Enron/Andersen fiasco
isn't a solid contributor to employee depression.  We're looking at
thousands of employees who will be out of jobs, who were "duped", and
who were once proud (might be stretching here) to be a part of those
companies respectively.  Now, they are trying to defend their own
integrity as individuals and want to be disassociated with those who
caused the downfall.  Watch this carefully....it will be interesting to
see how it unfolds.

And, last but not least, thank you all for the opportunity to
contribute to The Well and I look forward to tracking this discussion
and jumping in as often as possible.  It's been so much fun.  Many
thanks. 
  

    
Thank you both for writing such a wonderful, and timely, book, and for
answering our questions.
  

    

Fawn and Beth, thank you so much for being here and being a part of the
discussion. I found the book to be really insightful and useful, and I hope
that it's a success for you! Thank you also for having me as your
interviewer.

I'll keep coming back to this topic, so as (castle) said above, feel free to
keep the discussion rolling. I'm happy to moderate it.
  

    
This has been huge fun -- thank you, too!

For those of you in the Bay Area, we'll be on KQED Tuesday morning at
10am, being interviewed by Angie Coiro as the second half of "Forum"
(the first half will be about the debate over whether psychologists
should be able to prescribe antidepressants). Please listen -- we'll
come back here afterwards for feedback!
  

    

Fawn, that's great to hear! I'll have to tune in online.
  

    
Yes, I just came here to interrupt this program for the same news
flash!

Here's a description of the show.  For any of you who may be
confronting legal issues over this, we do take calls. Our third
panelist has legal knowledge specific to California - her organization
is a subdivision of the Legal Aid Society.

Late with this, but ...

The Well's own <fsquared> is a Forum guest tomorrow!  We're spending
both hours on mental health topics.

9am  Forum looks at the debate in the medical community over who can
prescribe anti-depressants and other
psychotic drugs in light of a recent  New Mexico law that allows
psychologists to prescribe medication. 
Guests:
Dr. Charles Faltz, Director of Professional Affairs, California
Psychological Association and Clinical Psychologist;
Dr. Jack Lewin, Chief Executive Officer, California Medical
Association and practicing physician
                                            
10am      A look at coping with depression in the workplace. 
Guests:
Fawn Fitter, journalist and co-author of "Working in the Dark: Keeping
Your Job While Dealing with Depression"
Beth Gulas, management consultant and licensed mental health counselor
and co-author of "Working in the Dark"
Pat Shiu, attorney at the Employment Law Center, San Francisco

For those not familiar with the show: times are Pacific.  You can
listen locally at 88.5 FM; we also stream the show live over the
internet, at www.kqed.org.  There's also an online discussion board for
the show.
  

    
Psychotic drugs, or psychoactive drugs?
  

    

Thanks for posting that Angie!
  

    
Psychotic drugs! They need help!

I am looking forward to this, knowing I'll be in Angie's good hands.
  

    

I'm going to listen in from afar, here in Chicago!
  

    

I missed it, sorry.
  

    
If anyone wants to listen to our interview on KQED's Forum, the show
has been archived on the KQED web site. It's streaming audio, so
probably best enjoyed with a broadband connection, but even a dialup
modem should be able to handle it.

The Forum archives are here:
http://www.kqed.org/radio/forum/previous/index.html

Right now we're in the "this week" section, but in a few days we'll be
listed by date (March 26). I'm told Angie made us sound pretty darn
good -- check it out!
  

    
listening to the interview from atlanta, now. it is well worth the time even
if you've read "Working in the Dark" by the way.

I'm wondering now about an old idea from an early book on Prozac, "Listening
to Prozac." The author posited that folks who couldn't give off the happy,
chirpy persona that antidepressants supposedly provided might be at a
disadvantage in the workplace. That seems ridiculous to me in light of
having spent years trying to get to ground zero with various antidepressants
in combination. I wonder, though, if this type of misunderstanding of
depressed persons' needs and abilities contributes to the problems that
folks with depression have in the workplace.

Also, I've heard people describe their condition as being depressed when
they are alone and having anxiety attacks when they are around other people.
Do you have any advice for those of us who have anxiety attacks that are
obvious to careful observers? I suppose that, if we don't lay the groundwork
as you've suggested, we could be dismissed for falling apart under pressure.

Anxiety attacks in my experience come up sporadically and for fairly short
periods as rather than causing lost days or weeks. Have you heard of folks
being less than honest about this sort of thing, saying that they are
borderline diabetic and prone to insulin related shakes and such rather than
enduring the stigma of having to be out to their employers?
  

    

I'm listening to it right now. I love the Well AND the web!
  

    
Hmm. I don't know a lot about anxiety attacks, sd, but while they
manifest themselves differently from depression, the *process* of
dealing with them in the workplace should be pretty similar. That is,
do what's necessary to keep them from happening, figure out what you
can do to keep yourself together while they're happening, figure out if
they meet the definition of a disability, and figure out how much and
to whom you want to disclose that you have them. 
  

    
Interestingly enough, there are folks whose acquaintances think of them as 
calm, laid back... even though they see themselves as basket cases. So I 
figure the problem <sd> describes might be as much about dealing with 
self-perception as anything...?
  

    
i can see that, jon.
i think the trembling and the sweats and the palpitations feel much bigger
from the inside.

meanwhile, i read back over parts of the book and can see where many of the
suggestions apply. -finding a quiet place like an empty confrence room to
gather thoughts, for example. and it probably isn't as obvious as open
weeping.
  

    
I have a special request for the readers of inkwell.vue. Widely syndicated
career columnist Joyce Lain Kennedy would like to do a column on depression
in the workplace which would mention our book. However, she needs a reader
letter to lead into the topic. If any of you have a question about
depression and work, please send it directly to us at
authors@workinginthedark.com some time in the next week. Beth and I will
choose a question to send on to Ms. Kennedy. And you will have the
satisfaction of knowing you're helping thousands of readers nationwide!
  

    

Fawn, are you still screening letters for Kennedy?

Also, I just noticed that <drue> is responsible for your site design and didn't remember that twas 
always thus.  Nice, drue!
  

    
Thanks for asking, viv -- no, we needed the letter by the 2nd week of July.
Not sure when the column will run, but I do know we'll be mentioned soon in
an upcoming "Working Wounded" column by Bob Rosner.
  

    

Good!