New Tool for Managing Depression (NAPSA)—Trueorfalse? It’s OK to ease up on your depression treatment once your symptoms go away. False: Staying on a treatment plan even after symptoms subside is a key requirement for life-long man- agementof depression. Get straight about some common myths about depression by visiting LearningWellness.com, a unique new Website designed for people who have been treated for clinical depression and want to get andstay well. Leah Darby, Miss Kansas 1999, was caught unaware when her depression hit. Today, she is undergoing treatment and living thelife she’s always wanted. “Through my treatment, I’ve returned to being the person I was before my depression. I participated in Learning Wellness.com to remind people with depression that hope exists, and that resources are available,” says Leah. Bylinda Brown and Zach Collins join Leah on the Website to offer visitors an intimate look at how depression took its toll on their lives. Bylinda’s depression affected nearly every aspect of her life until she was finally diagnosed and treated. Zach suffered from depression for seven years prior to diagnosis. Clinical depression is a chronic health condition that affects as many as one in eight Americans. For most people with the condition, depressionis a life-long illness that comes and goes. Given the chronic nature of depression, people need to understand how to manageit for the long-term. Useful Tips and Strategies LearningWellness.com addresses common concernsin a confidential and easy to navigate environment. Personal conversations among participants guide visitors through important topics like understanding depression, working with your doctor, understanding A new Web site may provide valuable insights for people liv- ing with depression. medication and building a support network. LearningWellness.com is so enlightening that most visitors would recommendthe site to someone else with depression. Although many visitors to LearningWellness.com have experienced a depression relapse at some point, 80 percent said the site helped them understand how to avoid a future relapse. LearningWellness.com also features Dr. Noel Gardner of the University of Utah and Celeste Giroux, a psychiatric nurse in Sarasota, Florida. Together, they provide patients with strategies for maintaining wellness throughoutlife. “Patients often stop taking medication and start missing appointments with their physicians as soon as their symptomsabate,” Dr. Gardner warns. “Getting well and staying well after a diagnosis of depression requires dedication and ongoing care.” Dr. Gardner suggests that patients actively contribute to treatment success by working with their doctor to simplify treatment and make it as convenient as possible. To learn more from Leah, Bylinda and Zach about how to manage depression, log on to LearningWellness.com.
