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Depression is common in Moffat County, according to Dave Spencer of the Yampa Valley Psychotherapists.

Sixty-five percent of people who go to Spencer have depression but it usually is combined with other problems, most notably anxiety, substance abuse and relational problems.

There are two common types of treatment for depression, Spencer said. These are medication and counseling.

Barb Seed, the program director for Craig Mental Health, said about 80 percent of patients at that facility are experiencing some form of depression.

But depression, which is a neuro-biological disorder, requires a special kind of counseling therapy, which involves working on a person's attitude, current thoughts and changing people's way of thinking. This is generally most helpful for cases of mild depression.

"If a person loses his or her job, they can get really discouraged," Seed said. "They need to change their ways of thinking and they will have a much better chance of getting a job."

People experiencing a mild form of depression may just feel down, discouraged, and tired much of the time or lack of excitement or energy, Spencer said.

People experiencing a severe form of depression may be unable to work or function. They may just want to curl up and do nothing, Spencer said. Severe depression is often treated through drugs, such as Paxil, Zoloft or Prozac.

There are all types of different stages between mild and severe forms of depression, psychotherapists said.

Currently, there are a couple of reasons people in Moffat County are feeling more depression, Seed said.

"Whenever a nation is at war, there is an increase in depression," Seed said. "Also concerns about the economy."

Seasonal depression also is a problem.

"The human brain needs so many hours of sun," Seed said.

Miners who work underground and people who work inside office buildings also suffer depression because of lack of sunlight.

Exercise and eating right have much to do with helping fight off depression.

A person can self-treat his or herself, Seed said. They can eat healthily, exercise and get eight hours of sleep.

"When we aren't exercising, we are going to be feeling more sluggish and won't have energy," Spencer said. "Exercise stimulates the brain and is an excellent treatment for depression. The better we feel, the less depression there is."

With diet, the problem is if someone is overweight, they feel bad and people's self-image is mainly based on appearance. Spencer said keeping an appropriate weight would help with that.

Besides just the weight aspect, some carbohydrates and sugars will cause a sluggish, depressed feeling in people.

"If someone were to go on a mini-binge of candy bars, an hour or so later, it's a downer for us," Spencer said.

Depression and alcoholism often go together

"They are the two biggest problems that we have in Moffat County," Spencer said.

Spencer said people come to live in Craig because it is isolated and it is rural. People in Craig are independent and like to solve problems themselves

When people get into trouble, they tend to keep it to themselves instead of turning to others for help, Spencer said.

Spencer said the culture here can support drinking, which can lead to depression.

"Women can feel pretty isolated and their interests, unless they are into outdoor sports, are sometimes not met very well," Spencer said.

"Especially in children there is an anger," Seed said. "And when we get to the bottom of it, it is usually caused by some depression."

The rate of depression in juveniles here is high among boys and girls, Spencer said.

They have different pressures than adults, and while theirs tend to be school related and dating, the results are the same.

Part of the problem is so many parents are working in Steamboat or working two jobs and they aren't available and the child has no one to talk to in order to resolve problems.

Suicide rates are higher in rural areas than those rates in an urban setting, Spencer said.

The problem has been there all along, Spencer said, dating back to the pioneer days.

"Today though we know more about it and we know how to treat it," Spencer said. "The problem now is that it is expensive and many people can't get treated because there are fewer and fewer affordable resources."

"I think that there is still a long way to go in understanding depression," Seed said.

Liz King is an intern with the Craig Daily Press. She can be reached at 824-7031 or eking@craigdailypress.com.