Battling the holiday blues

Guam - A harsh reality of this time of year is that the majority of island residents gather to celebrate with family and friends, many in our close-knit island community suffer painful depression during what's supposed to be the most wonderful time of the year.

The holidays are supposed to be a joyful time of year filled with parties, presents and people you love, but for people who don't have a special someone to share seasons greetings with it can be dark and lonely - especially on Christmas. Department of Youth Affairs Psychologist Dr. Juan Rapadas said that the holiday blues is actually perfectly normal.

"Blues are different than clinical depression, which is really a psychiatric disorder and we must make sure we allow people to be sad and blue, but if they are depressed it's a different story," he said.

So what causes the blues on Christmas when all the streets are lit up and everyone in sight seems to sipping egg nog and holding hands? Said Dr. Rapadas, "A lot of times it comes from memories. If we had good childhood memories about Christmas and the holiday period, then when we are older and we don't have those reminders it can get us pretty sad and blue."

The Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse is running a holiday crisis hotline to assist people in a crisis situation. Volunteers are required to undergo eight hours of training.

One volunteer is Upper Tumon resident Deena Carey, who said, "The most challenging part is when that phone rings you have no idea what's on the other end from family violence to maybe something to not so major such as someone who just wants someone to talk to because they are lonely."

Rapadas added, "It's very cliche, But it's saying, 'Hey, is it okay? Is their something going on I need to know?' This is someone you know who is sad and blue. It's a phase and a part of life feeling sad and blue and you talk to them and give them some advice."

If you or someone you know is down in the dumps, there are ways to battle the blues. Try getting out in your in your community and volunteering, get some exercise, listen to music, or see a funny movie, but most of all surround yourself with friends and loved ones and make them your family this Christmas.

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