Are You Depressed?

Identifying the symptoms of depression can be a useful first step toward gaining a deeper understanding of how depression, bipolar disorder, or the long-lasting low-level depression called dysthymia (pronounced dis-THIGH-me-a) affects you. It may help you open a discussion with a doctor or therapist, too.
Be aware, however, that self-tests like this one cannot diagnose depression or any other mental illness. Even if they could, it’s easy to dismiss or overlook symptoms in yourself. It may help to have a friend or relative go over this checklist with you. Also, remember that your feelings count far more than the number of check marks you make. If you think you are depressed or if you have other concerns or questions after taking this test, talk with your doctor or therapist.
Depression Checklist
Start by checking off any symptoms of depression that you have had for two weeks or longer. Focus on symptoms that have been present almost every day for most of the day. (The exception is the item regarding thoughts of suicide or suicide attempts. A check mark there warrants an immediate call to the doctor.) Then look at the key that follows the list.

• I feel sad or irritable.
• I have lost interest in activities I used to enjoy.
• I’m eating much less than I usually do and have lost weight, or
• I’m eating much more than I usually do and have gained weight.
• I am sleeping much less or more than I usually do.
• I have no energy or feel tired much of the time.
• I feel anxious and can’t seem to sit still.
• I feel guilty or worthless.
• I have trouble concentrating or find it hard to make decisions.
• I have recurring thoughts about death or suicide, I have a suicide plan, or I have tried to commit suicide.

Now think about other symptoms you have noticed during this time:

• I feel hopeless.
• I have lost interest in sex, including fantasies.
• I have headaches, aches and pains, digestive troubles, or other physical symptoms.

Scoring the Test
If you checked a total of five or more statements on the depression checklist, including at least one of the first two statements, you may be suffering from an episode of major depression. If you checked fewer statements, including at least one of the first two statements, you may be suffering from a milder form of depression or dysthymia. Either way, your doctor may be able to recommend treatments to help.

Reduce Your Fatigue Threshold

Managing fatigue and reducing your fatigue threshold are essential to maintaining maximum performance. No one can work at peak efficiency when he or she is exhausted all the time. According to Dr. Hans Seyle, a leading stress researcher, we all have an energetic savings account and a checking account. If you consistently overdraw your energetic checking account—your daily energy reserves— through overwork, unmanaged stress, and ignored health warnings, eventually your checking account will empty and you will have to draw on your savings account—the body’s emergency energy reserves.
Many years ago Lomas Brown, an NFL player on the offensive line for the Detroit Lions, came to me because he was having problems with his knee joints. Since the NFL is always looking for bigger, stronger, and faster linemen, Lomas’s weight was 310 pounds. When I ran him through our health checks, I discovered that his Body Mass Index and his body fat composition were much too high.
At this point, Lomas had already played eight years on the defensive line. He knew that he didn’t have the energy of a rookie anymore. He wanted to improve his performance so he could stay in the game for a few more years, but he couldn’t do this unless something changed for him. He also knew that overweight offensive and defensive linemen had a 50 percent greater chance of dropping dead of a heart attack than the average man on the street. He wanted to be around to enjoy his children and his grandchildren when his career was over.
Since Lomas was a seasoned veteran with some of the best technique I’d ever seen, there was only one suggestion I could make. I told him, “Since the quickest way to compromise technique is to become tired out, let’s work on improving your fatigue threshold by dropping your weight and getting you better conditioned.”
Soon we had his weight down to 280 pounds, with more lean muscle and less body fat. But then Lomas said, “Mackie, that’s all fine and good, but my offensive lineman coach wants me to weigh in at 295.”
I said, “But you’ve also had knee surgery. Increasing your weight will be harder on your knees in the long run, so I think we’ll have to keep your weight down lower if you want to achieve your goal. Talk to your agent. Tell him ‘When I go into the preseason training camp, weigh me in at 295 automatically. Let my statistics speak for me. If I do what I need to do, then my coach can just assume I’m 295 pounds.’”
Lomas followed this advice and became all-pro that year. He’s been all-pro for a total of nine seasons. At a final weight of 276 pounds, he became the lightest player in the NFL at left tackle.
When he first came to me, he only wanted to squeeze another three years out of his career. But he got an additional nine, as one of the highest paid left tackles in the game—and he’s still playing as of this writing. He learned how to improve his performance by managing his fatigue.
Since you are born with only a limited amount of energy, the key to maintaining a high level of performance and productivity is learning how to manage that energy. There are several ways to do this:

• Your heart has only a finite number of beats in it before it stops forever, but you do not have to squander those beats because your aerobic conditioning is poor. Through exercise,
  you can always develop a lower resting heart rate.
• Get regular health checkups.
• Make sure you get enough sleep.
• Keep your weight within acceptable limits.
• Manage your stress.