A Tie That Binds Us? Depression

The mostly white, affluent suburbs of Westchester may seem a world away the gritty housing projects of East New York and Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn, where Sherry Saturno once did charity work before she moved to Tarrytown. But a social worker has a unique window into the connective tissue between populations and problems and a major tie is depression.

“What I've noticed here is a very common theme of depression,” Saturno, who has been the Clinical Director of the Westchester Medical Center Behavioral Health Center in Valhalla for one year. “People feel depressed and they start to self-medicate to feel better which increases their despondency and so on.”

Though the department she oversees helps every type of patient from 4 to 90 years of age, suffering from everything from attention deficit disorders to addiction and paranoid schizophrenia, “a lot of patients have some type of depression underlying,” Saturno said.

The brunt of Saturno's social worker background leaned toward the 90 end of the age spectrum. She spent five years working with seniors in nursing homes in Westchester. And if she were to label a population that is most effected by depression in these high-tech times, it's our seniors.

“Senior citizens oftentimes tend to become depressed as they enter their later years,” she said. “They've lost their significant other, they are devalued from a societal emphasis on youth, their kids have moved away.” She cited a study saying that elderly men are the most at risk population of having thoughts of harming themselves; she also mentioned the new forms of communication that this group largely does not participate in.

We here in Tarrytown and Sleepy Hollow are faced with a constant landmark of depression: the Tappan Zee Bridge that so beautifully spans our river also serves as a . On the occasion that someone survives, Saturno reminds us how very fragile the situation is and how much more work lies ahead to really save this person. They may have survived but they are “physically or cognitively changed. They need so much support, first to be stabilized, and then reassurance as they restore stability,” Saturno said. “I can't tell you how seriously we take that, to get them engaged in living again. It's the most rewarding thing as therapists we can do.”

Then there's women, on whom Saturno's attention seems to be focusing most these days.

• Women are twice as likely to experience depression/anxiety as men.
• Approximately 7 million women in the United States are clinically depressed.
• One in five women can expect to develop clinical depression at some time in her life.

Saturno is participating in the She Fi8hter initiative, which cites the above statistics on their website. By their trademarked definition, a She Fi8hter is “a woman, who despite all odds, obstacles, hurts and judgements, has refused to 'stay down' and accept defeat. She has gotten up time and time again and ultimately stands beautiful in her victory.”

Shefi8hters.com has topic pages of “body image/perceptions, abuse/domestic violence, depression/anxiety, eating disorders, bullying/adolescents, drug and alcohol addiction,” each of which will soon house online courses taught by a network of participating therapists across the country in their area of expertise. Saturno plans to teach a course, mostly likely on depression, very soon (she says they are hoping to get something going at least before the end of March, which happens to be National Social Worker Month).

“Therapists will be leading the conversations trying to engage women in a dialogue,” Saturno explained. “What's causing you to feel less-than so we can pinpoint what's attracting you to dangerous relationships and behaviors. The goal is to get women to actualize their potential.”

The venture, started by a Toronto-based online television host Nickeisha Urquhart, is actually the first stage of a bigger project to make a documentary on women's experiences with depression and other issues. 

“I don’t think there is enough attention or help for people who are dealing with [these issues],” said Urquhart in an interview posted on Social Workers Speak. “And they feel as if they are the only ones who are different and don’t seek attention or help.”