UPFRONT March 21, 2005 Issue

'WELL, IF IT WILL HELP ...'

SUZANNE SMEDLEY. STAFF EDITOR

After work one day, a friend asks what my next writing assignment is as we walk toward Newbury Street. I mention this Upfront column about mental health, and I wonder aloud what I can possibly say about such a huge subject—one that's big news today because it seems to touch the lives of so many. My friend then mentions her efforts to stay upbeat and connected with others in her search for work and a sense of purpose.

That night the phone rings in my apartment. "What's new?" asks another friend. I tell him I'm looking for the words, the inspiration, to introduce this issue to our readers. He reminds me that after his divorce years ago, he felt he was a failure and fell into depression that incapacitated him. "The only way I was able to get through it and get back to work was with spiritual help," he says.

Later I phone my parents to find out how their first day of vacation went. My mom wonders what I'm doing. I give the same response. She then recalls that, as a young adult, she had experienced a year-long bout with depression—with the feeling that her life had no meaning or significance—and that she also received spiritual help, which healed her not only of the depression, but gave her a sense of self-worth. She prayed a lot during that period, sometimes with the help of a Christian Science practitioner. "I finally realized that my joy wasn't dependent on my circumstances, or my upbringing, because it came from God. And I felt the presence of joy," she explains.

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