I am glad people are worried about this deadly strain of strep that has been making an appearance in the Chicago area. All of us are going to be very vigilant about taking care of even minor sore throats.
But there is a very deadly disease that is even more insidious–depression. When we start rushing our loved ones to the doctor at the first signs of depression, as we are at the first signs of sore throat, we will avoid tragedies such as the Lemaks of Naperville. Depression is a treatable disease, not a shameful secret. Marilyn Lemak could no more seek help for herself than if she were locked and chained in a medieval dungeon. That’s one terrible symptom of depression–inability to seek help for oneself. The deadliest symptom causes horrible acts such as murdering one’s children seem to make perfect sense, and seem to be an act of love.
It behooves us all to learn the signs of clinical depression and make sure we get our loved ones to the doctor. Conversely let’s make sure our loved ones know the symptoms and get us to the doctor before tragedy strikes, because we won’t be able to get ourselves there.
