Heather Locklear checks herself in....

Shamrock said:

You say she has nothing to be depressed about, yet that her depression is situational. In order to suffer from situational depression, you have to have something that is CAUSING that depression, i.e. a divorce, a death, etc.

For all we know, she could have suffered from clinical depression most of her life. It can be kept hidden at times, when we want it to. My coworkers would never imagine that I suffer from clinical depression because 98% of the time, I put on a damn good front.

To those who don't "get" how she can be depressed, you're lucky. You obviously haven't had to deal with this disease personally. It can't be truly understood by someone who hasn't felt it. It can be debilitating. This morning, I woke up in a good mood. Within 15 minutes, I was having random thoughts of driving my car into a tree on the way to work. My brain can be incredibly cruel. And sometimes I want to stand up and scream about how unfair it is that I have this HUGE monkey on my back who does whatever he can to keep me from enjoying the amazing life with which I've been blessed.

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Jeana (DP) said:

Depression isn't caused because you're not attractive, poor, etc. Its a chemical thing. She is apparently been on medication, but I've heard that from time to time medication taken for depression needs to be evaluated and/or changed because the body can build up a tolerance to it. She seems to have been having some problems for a bit since that 911 call came up. She could probably hide it better before, because the officers that went to her house said she was fine. A little while longer and she apparently knew that she needed to listen to her doctors.

I get depressed in the wintertime. I hate Christmas and I hate the cold weather. My body and my brain do way better in the summertime, so I kinda know how it feels.

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lymom3 said:

I know first hand what a horrible thing trying to find the right meds can be. Other people can look at any of us and think that we don't have anything to be depressed about. I have been on over 30 different medications over the years. It is wonderful that she recognizes that she needs help. It's also a bonus for her that she can afford the best treatment for herself. Being depressed and anxious is truly exhausting...much more so than being healthy. I wish her all the best and I hope her boyfriend stands behind her.

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nanandjim said:

Excuse me, let me reword: In the big scheme of things, compared to the average person, it appears that Heather would have no reason to be depressed for she is truly blessed with fame, fortune, good looks and a healthy child.

Second, let me add, depression runs in my family. I in fact feel that I have been depressed all of my life. I have never been treated for it. I fight it. I exercise, which helps. I realize that I probably would have a better quality of life if I got some treatment, but I do not want to deal with side effects of medication. I also have no reason to be depressed as I am living a pretty good life.

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j2mirish said:

ok- going on a limb here, and know I am gonna get flamed- but here is my question- how does someone as successful, beautiful, rich and famous, become depressed? dont get me wrong, I jnow " depression" has no boundries- but how is it possible at her age and wealth to be so anxious and depressed she has to check herself into a clinic :truce:

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Dryad said:

We don't live in her head and in her home. She is the same age as I am and her divorce was just finalized in 2007. She's going to be 47 this year and has now a 2nd failed marriage that involved infidelity and substance abuse. Who knows what she is feeling? Nobody knows what went on her marriage that she is still dealing with? It's difficult gettting older (especially in Hollywood) and her career is based on looks and youth. It's common to be depressed after a divorce. I hope she gets well soon.

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turbosleuthing said:

Depression has nothing to do with how pretty someone is, or how much money someone makes. It's INSIDE the person..............

You can't bat your pretty eyelashes and make depression run, you can't buy your way out of depression. These people are human too!!! If you had asthma or diabetes, would a bigger house make it go away?

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trixie said:

If it's depression it's probably because that ugly frickin' Denise Richards face is plastered all over the TV these days and she can't get away from the whole situation. :furious:

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Let me ask you this: Do you think that if she were living in a third world country struggling to stay alive that she would have time to be depressed?

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nanandjim said:

I agree with you. She has nothing to be depressed about. I think that her depression is situational. She probably is having problems in her love life and doesn't feel stability at this point. She is also getting older.

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Dryad said:

We don't live in her head and in her home. She is the same age as I am and her divorce was just finalized in 2007. She's going to be 47 this year and has now a 2nd failed marriage that involved infidelity and substance abuse. Who knows what she is feeling? Nobody knows what went on her marriage that she is still dealing with? It's difficult gettting older (especially in Hollywood) and her career is based on looks and youth. It's common to be depressed after a divorce. I hope she gets well soon.[/QUOTE]

i agree, Dryad....i'm not a big fan of hers, but i do hope she gets everything worked out...

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nanandjim said:

Oh, thanks for the lesson in depression. I understand where depression comes from. I understand that money, looks and having it all doesn't make a person exempt from depression.

Let me ask you this: Do you think that if she were living in a third world country struggling to stay alive that she would have time to be depressed? I am not picking on Heather because I really like her, always have.

I do not believe that Heather's depression is a chemical imbalance. However, I don't know Heather, and I don't know her history.

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AlwaysShocked said:

I am surprised (but shouldn't be) at how many people right here at Websleuths suffer or suffered from clinical depression. Add me to the group.

I was (finally!) diagnosed in my mid-thirties but in looking back over my life with a therapist, realize that I had had fairly major depressive episodes going back to my early teens.

My father had it, his brother had it, his mother had it. My son has it. My sister's son has it.

I do extremely well on Zoloft. I particpated in indiviual Cognitive Behavioral Therapy at the time of my initial diagnosis. It was free because I participated in a funded study of depression at a local university.

I have gone for long periods of time without medication - 2,3, even 4 years. In me, a depressive episode is usually triggered by an "event" - a death, a divorce, a job loss, etc. Things that would make anyone depressed. But mine doesn't lift. Fortunately, I know the signs and symptoms to watch for that tell me I need to go back onto medication. (With me it is crying. That's what sends me to my doctor for a prescription.)

My doctor has told me that the current thoughts in the medical world are that if a person has had two or more major depressive episodes in their life they should be on a "maintenance dose" of medication for the rest of their lives. I have not chosen to go that route - yet.

One last thing - at one point I was given citalopram and within 3 months my hair started thinning horribly. I then learned that this is a known side effect of citalopram. I stopped taking it immediately and my hair grew back in. I don't think this is a really common side effect, but it was really scary, so be forewarned.

Best of luck to Heather. Sometimes they want to hospitalize a person in order to give the person a respite from everyday life and also to adjust medications. If she has been drinking along with depression, it would be good for her to be hospitalized.

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