People should be just as willing to talk about emotional injuries as physical ones, and just as willing to seek treatment. That’s the goal of the Campaign to Change Direction.
The group says untreated depression can lead to other problems, from drug abuse to suicide. Indiana coordinator Jennifer Pope-Baker says one reason it goes untreated is people still think it’s something to be ashamed of.The group’s goal is to get people to treat emotional distress with seriousness and without judgment, the same as they would a physical injury.
The cities of Indianapolis, Carmel, Fishers, Westfield, Noblesville, Zionsville, Shelbyville and Crawfordsville have signed on to the campaign to educate people about the warning signs of mental anguish: personality changes, social withdrawal, agitation, hopelessness, and a failure to take care of oneself, such as sleeplessness or excessive drinking.
Fishers Mayor Scott Fadness says his city has had as many suicides in the last three weeks as it’s had homicides in 20 years — yet it’s violent crime that people worry about. Marion County health commissioner Virginia Caine says people with depression too often self-medicate with drugs or alcohol instead of getting treatment.
