A Plan For Managing Depression (NAPSA)—While most people recognize her as the cheerful designer on ABC’s Extreme Makeover: Home Edition”, Paige Hemmis is also one of the estimated 33 to 35 million U.S. adults who have experienced depression at some point during their lifetimes. Hemmis speaks about her experiences with depression as part of the Blueprint for Hope campaign to inspire others with depression to seek help and find a treatment plan that is right for them—as she did. “On the show, we use blue- prints to design each home, and managing our lives is no different,” explains Paige Hemmis. “Having a Hemmis ————— blueprint to manage your condition can help create a plan and establish goals for your journey to better health.” For Hemmis, depression was characterized by sadness, exhaustion, sleeplessness, guilt, loneliness, and withdrawal from her favorite activities. She believes that if she had been aware of depression resources such as As depression can bedifficult to treat, it’s important to have a variety of tools and a solid treatment plan. Here aretips to consider. Create a “Blueprint” Elements of a depression treatment plan, or “blueprint,” may include: e Educating yourself about depression Developing a productive rela- tionship with your doctor Working with your doctor to find the right treatment plan Seek Support A strong support network is important for helping you stay on therapy andlive successfully with depression by helpingyouto: Rememberyou aren’t alone Feel empowered to seek support from your physician, family, and community Get Involved Staying involved in favorite activities can help youto: e Spend time with others Be there for your family and friends Start feeling like yourself again The Blueprint for Hope cam- paign, presented by Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, aims to inspire people to speak with a health care profes- Hemmis worked closely with sional about their depression symptoms and raise awareness of the importance of working with a health care professional to build a blueprint for managing theillness, Cam- herself. “With the right plan and a strong support network,it’s possible to feel like yourself again, be ing depression information and a Blueprint for Hope during the height of her struggle with depression, she might have felt empoweredto seek help sooner. her doctor to find a treatment plan that she could stick with. Today, she is back to feeling like there for your family, and do the things you love,” Hemmis reveals. paign partners include Paige Hemmis; the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance, a mental health advocacy organization; and physicians. Additional resources, includsymptom progress tracker, as well as do-it-yourself videos and tips, are available at BlueprintforHope.com.
