For Rick and the list members,
I send this to you with a thought or two.
First, this is an extremely serious subject for such discussions on the
open air, so to speak. Should all such responses to this thread by
individuals with personal experiences to tell be given anonymous status?
You may get a lot of things sent to you that you might not like, or that
might be best dealt with by a psychologist or other counseling agent.
Second, the responses to this (and future similar posts) might not achieve
the desired purpose, whatever that might be. There is sufficient evidence
(as has been pointed out by several members already) which links
depression to chemical imbalances as well other causes. Without sufficient
confidence levels as to what we (or they) may know, responses to such
posts might be off the cuff remarks, and might actually do more harm than
good, and not be as helpful to anyone as we all might think.
I don't know what caused "anon's" depression. I don't know that we want to
know, as list members, or that we do better by knowing. There is no doubt
whatsoever that this occurs in the workplace every day, in good
organizations and bad, whatever our definition may be. In the grand scheme
of things, the examples of young school children exhibiting indicators of
possible clinical depression may only serve to make us more vigilant as to
the sense of urgency we might ourselves deal with in regard to the needs
of organizations for whom we consult and with whom we interact.
The better we get at our own learning organization, the better we may help
others to become. Surely such knowledge as the impact of depression (not
just bad hair days) on people and those with whom they work has not been
fully realized. It is social trauma which we have perhaps lived with
ourselves, and have experienced in the places we have worked. But a little
knowledge is a dangerous thing, if it causes more harm than good for the
individual or the group.
When I first read the first post in re this thread, I had to sit back in
my chair, recalling all the past experiences I've had with others who, for
reasons unbeknownst to me, exhibited behavior which seemed to be far
afield from what one "would expect". I remember particularly one
individual who was a GM who, when it was suggested that he appeared not to
relish his responsibilities, burst into tears, and as I sat stunned as he
eventually composed himself, admitted that he didn't want this job, that
he had been depressed for months over what he felt were awesome
responsibilities for the lives of others, and wished that it would all
just go away. There are many other examples which this thread topic
unlocked from the box of Pandora.
Perhaps we might provide posts regarding the experiences we have had with
others than ourselves, and how that organization dealt with the depression
it may have found within its ranks. Perhaps we might best leave our own
symptoms for other times and other places? I say this with the greatest
compassion for those who may suffer such debilitating illness and its
consequences. I've seen and heard too many horror stories not to have
feelings at this time in my life. Perhaps you all have too.
Such an important issue in these times...how do we best deal with it? In
such cases, typing is no substitute for the kind of quiet support offered
to the CEO I mentioned before. My best to "anon".
--Regards, John Constantine rainbird@trail.com Rainbird Management Consulting PO Box 23554 Santa Fe, NM 87502 http://www.trail.com/~rainbird "Dealing in Essentials"
Learning-org -- An Internet Dialog on Learning Organizations For info: <rkarash@karash.com> -or- <http://world.std.com/~lo/>