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Pulling back the curtains on wage-theft enforcement in MN; Trump's latest attack is on RFK, Jr; NM LGBTQ+ equality group endorses 2024 'Rock Star' candidates; Michigan's youth justice reforms: Expanded diversion, no fees.

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Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says rebuilding Baltimore's Key Bridge will be challenging and expensive. An Alabama Democrat flips a state legislature seat and former Connecticut senator Joe Lieberman dies at 82.

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Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

Holidays and Hard Times: a Depression Double Whammy

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Monday, December 15, 2008   

Tucson, AZ – The holiday season can be a time of great joy and happiness. But for some, it can bring on serious bouts of depression, especially in the current economic downturn. Physician Laura Waterman, clinical director for the Southern Arizona Mental Health Center, Tucson, says the stress of the season can bring down even people who are not generally depressed otherwise.

"The expectations for a perfect holiday that people set for themselves can be pretty unrealistic: the perfect holiday dinner, the perfect gifts for every person, the perfect reaction from everyone to whom you give the perfect gift."

Waterman says such depression can produce thoughts of suicide, in extreme cases. She recommends seeking professional treatment or, at the very least, an assessment. The warning signs of holiday depression include major changes in sleeping and eating habits, she adds.

"Or it might be a sense of hopelessness and sadness, suddenly not being at all interested in activities that previously were very interesting and enjoyable."

For less-serious depression, Waterman advises a visit to a primary care doctor or clinic; in a critical situation, the person should contact one of the crisis centers located in each Arizona county.

"A good place to try and find that crisis system is to look in the yellow pages under 'crisis services.' Sometimes, it's at the very front of the phone book, under emergency numbers."

Contacting a religious counselor is another good place to start, she suggests. In extreme situations, when someone is threatening to harm themselves or others, she advises calling the police because they can help facilitate an emergency hospital admission.



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