Yesterday, while waiting at a red traffic light, I checked out the stations on my car radio. When the light changed and I had to turn my attention back to driving, I found myself listening to one of those angry talk show hosts. I've listened to this guy before and dislike him intensely. That dislike was heightened when I realized he was ranting about the use of medication to treat depression. His diatribe included statements about how he would rather be in the pit of depression and emerge with a series of creative ideas he believed would be the outcome of his descent to this dark place, than succumb to "mind-altering drugs" (anti-depressants).

I don't know what precipitated his overheated anti-medication diatribe. This guy clearly doesn't have a clue about what it's like to be depressed. Typical of people who have never been depressed, he believes it's easy to "snap out of it" or "pull yourself up by the bootstrap." They believe that the inability to emerge from feeling depressed is a sign of weakness.

It isn't.

Sad moods and depressed feelings are part of everybody's life, especially when you have experienced loss or serious trauma. But, if after more than two weeks you're not rising out of your misery you may have clinical depression, a treatable medical condition that affects one out of six of us at least once during our lifetime.

Many years ago, after a series of devastating personal and professional losses, I sunk into a deep depression that, ultimately triggered me asking for help from a mental health oriented physician. Despite advice, I avoided anti-depressants, thinking I should be able to overcome this on my own. Ultimately, my descent included an episode of crying that wouldn't stop and thoughts that there was no hope of feeling normal again. I agreed to fill the prescription. Within weeks I was able to work with that therapist and a support group to understand my problems, learn coping skills and, in time, emerge from my black hole and return to a productive life without the medication.

Now I actively seek opportunities to spread the word that the dance with depression is one that can include re-orientation to an active, productive life. For some people, medication is necessary, sometimes for a short and sometimes for a longer time. Exercise and a healthy diet help, but it's coping skills (sometimes in concert with prescription medication) that, in the end, make the difference between getting stuck in a rut and being resilient.

My experience with the possibly deranged radio host triggered my activism. At the next red light I switched stations, and when I returned to my office, I called the local station's programming department to voice my distaste in their choice of angry, judgmental radio hosts.

There are many resources to help you if and when you become depressed. Start by plugging the word "depression" or "resiliency" into any search engine. There is also an empathetic ear at smartcoach@aol.com.