Depression as a Symptom of Something More

This is something I posted a few months ago on a yahoo group in response to another member's post about suffering from depression;

"If just one person seeks early treatment for depression and benefits from me sharing my story it will be well worth it.

After the birth of my second child I was diagnosed with Young Onset Parkinson's Disease. One of the meds my neurologist wanted me to start taking was an anti-depressant. I didn't think I was suffering from depression so I declined medication for it. I wanted the least amount of drugs possible when I first accepted treatment for my disease. Boy did I have a lot to learn!

Later when I applied for disability I had to go through the usual medical exams to prove my illness. In addition to being seen by movement specialists I was given an exam by a psychiatrist. I thought this was strange but I did what the social security people asked. To my surprise I discovered I was clinically depressed!

When these findings were reported back to my neurologist he hit me up again to try an anti-depressant. Reluctantly I agreed. I never would have guessed that I was depressed enough to warrant medical treatment. I thought I just got the blues, like everyone else. I had rough patches but thought I just needed to tough them out. I agreed to take an anti-depressant on a trial basis. I was told to give the medication a full month before I made any decisions.

Wow. What a difference. Until you are given drug treatment for depression, you don't realize how bad you had it. At least that is how it was for me. After my month was up I decided to continue with the anti-depressant. My doctor advised me that it was very important to treat the depression as well as the other symptoms of my disease. Lessening the effects of depression apparently helps to slow the rate of progression of PD. I have noticed a difference in the effectiveness of my PD meds when I miss taking my antidepressant.

Apparently long term depression is a pre-curser to Parkinson's Disease in about 80% of the patients diagnosed with it. It is still unclear whether long term depression triggers the disease or if it is just an early indicator for those predisposed to develop it.

Please don't let your blues go unreported to your physician. And don't be too proud like I was to accept treatment for it! You never know if it is a sign of something more significant.