Issue link: https://tmcpulse.uberflip.com/i/1010198
T M C » P U L S E | A U G U S T 2 0 1 8 24 "I think the baby boomers, especially compared to millennials, are less inclined to talk about these issues," Stevens said. "And we don't necessarily have the champions publicly that we have in younger folks … I struggle to think right now, who of that generation is talking about their struggles with depres- sion and suicide." Stigma still surrounds mental illness and no matter how much money or fame people have, they may not open up and tell anything to anybody, Shah said. "Now we know that Kate Spade was struggling with depression for a long time, but seeking private help is very different than seeking public help," he said. Baby boomers are also more burdened than other generations. "Many of the patients I see are also supporting other family mem- bers," Stevens explained. "In your 60s, you may be caring for an aging parent, a spouse and caring for a child in their late 20s or early 30s. There are all of these factors and sometimes that is why they are not accessing the care they need." This was the case for Mary Jane Pita. Unable to cope Upon returning to the U.S. after four years in Spain, Mary Jane and her husband moved to Houston to care for Mary Jane's father and stepmother—her stepmother was suffering from dementia. "I was taking care of the house, her grandson, taking care of all the business, and it just got to be too much," she said. "My father thought, 'Well why can't you find another job, something must be wrong with you.' He was very hostile." Mary Jane looked for work in banking again. "I did try, but every time I went in a bank, it was just filled with young people," she said. "It was also hard to explain the gap in my employment. … They thought I had just taken a big vacation." After a major disagreement with her father, Mary Jane attempted suicide for the second time, in August 2007. Once again, she reached for pills. After that, Mary Jane was placed in inpatient care at a Houston facil- ity, but was not seen by a psychiatrist until one came by to discharge her. Mary Jane attempted suicide a third time in October 2007, and was formally diagnosed with depression. "I think it was just being unable to cope with things," she said. "I was thinking every time that my family would be way better off without me. And that wasn't the case, but I got this idea that I was so bad and I thought I was creating all these issues and problems for my family." In severe cases, people can rationalize suicide as an option, Stevens said. "It has an internal logic, even though you and I may not view that as a rational decision," he said. "They are saying, 'I can't really work, I can't get out of this, I am in all of this pain that makes every day very difficult.'" Brain health After an evaluation at The Menninger Clinic in 2016, Mary Jane was diagnosed with bipolar disorder—not depression—and finally started to get the treatment she needed. When I first came to Menninger, I was without hope—I was at the end of my rope. I told Dr. Stevens I just didn't know what was going to happen to me. It was like a dark tunnel ... — MARY JANE PITA