DISABILITIES

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Dan Hassett not only reads this column in the Waynesville Daily Guide in Missouri, he's also the editor and general manager. About twelve years ago, Hassett began seeing a doctor for cluster headaches, and the doctor prescribed blood pressure medication and lithium for it.

Over time, Hassett said the combination of drugs disrupted his thyroid, which triggered the symptoms of major depression. A National Institute for Mental Health website reports, “Certain medications, and some medical conditions such as viruses or a thyroid disorder, can cause the same symptoms as depression.”

“I had a very severe depression for about a year because of the medication,” said 60-year-old Hassett in a telephone interview. “I told the doctor I felt depressed, and he said I couldn't be depressed because I was on an anti-depressant (lithium). It got so bad I was driving on the way to work one day looking for trees or culverts to run my car into. I was suicidal.”

Losing nearly all desire for work, he spent most days just struggling to remain functional. He wasn't talking about or sharing his condition much with anyone, including his wife. He had trouble eating, and often would lay in bed at night trembling. It took over his life, he said.

One day his problems came to a head. “The final morning I was driving to work feeling suicidal and beginning to consider drinking again because I had been an alcoholic and been sober for nine years,” he said. “I wanted relief from the depression. My wife was following me in her car and was going to give me a ride to work after I dropped off my car. I knew I didn't want to kill myself, and I knew I didn't want to drink. So my wife took me to the hospital.”

Over several days, doctors determined that Hassett's thyroid wasn't working properly, and he spent two weeks in a hospital. At the time, he was an army master sergeant serving in public affairs at Fort Leonard Wood. It didn't take long for his condition to improve.

He said to people experiencing major depression: “Just persist in finding help because what you are experiencing may not be what you think it is. In my case, I had no idea what I was experiencing was depression. I just knew I wanted to kill myself or start drinking again to relieve the pain.”

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