The lesson of Bruce Jamerson’s tragic death: Take depression seriously and get help

By Guest Post | Tuesday, April 26th, 2011 | Virginia

By Ken Falkenstein. Originally posted at Ken’s Colloquium

Twenty years ago, Bruce Jamerson became the youngest man ever appointed to serve as the Clerk of the Virginia House of Delegates.  Over the following two decades, Bruce served with distinction.  He was so highly respected that when control of the House switched from Democrat to Republican, the new Republican majority kept him in his position.  Serving in a politically charged job, Bruce managed to earn the respect and confidence of every member, regardless of party or philosophy.

Earlier this month, Bruce went on a cruise with his family to celebrate his daughter’s high school graduation.  He had previously overseen the construction of the multi-million-dollar visitor center and Capitol Complex.  He was universally loved, and after 20 years of service, he was still ascending in the esteem of everyone who knew him.

Sunday night, Bruce got in his car and drove to Watkins Landing along the James River.  He walked down a path near the river, stopped, put a gun to his head, and pulled the trigger.

Everyone is asking the obvious question:  Why?  Why would a such an accomplished man, held in such high regard by so many people, a man whose family was celebrating his daughter’s graduation, a man who will be enshrined with honor in the annals of Virginia history, take his life?

The answer appears to be that he suffered from depression, and it finally got the best of him.

Depression is one of the least understood afflictions in our society.  Too many people fail to understand that depression is a medical condition.  People with depression are not weak or whiny, and they are not psychotic.  They have a condition that is as much a medical condition as high cholesterol or high blood pressure.  But because depression manifests itself by affecting the victim’s emotions rather than through some physical manifestation, people mistake it as merely a bad attitude.  To make matters worse, depression often causes its victims to repel the people closest to them, and as a result, many people with depression drive away the very people best positioned to help and support them.

Like most medical conditions, depression is medically treatable.  There are medicines and therapies that are proven to enable people with depression to manage their conditions and live normal happy lives.  But the nature of depression is such that the people suffering it often won’t seek treatment.

Depression is a stigma in our society.  Those afflicted with it are afraid to let people know because they are afraid that they will be seen as having a “mental disease” or as being crazy or “psycho.”  And because so many people fail to understand that depression is a treatable and manageable medical condition, the victims fear, with justification, that if their condition is known, they will be passed over for employment, promotions, and other opportunities.

Ours is an enlightened society.  We have overcome deeply engrained prejudices on matters of race, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, and most forms of physical and mental disabilities.  But we still stigmatize people with depression because we don’t understand it.

The tragedy of Bruce Jamerson illustrates that this needs to change.

I have learned firsthand that those of us who are close to someone with depression need to hate the disease but love and support the person suffering it.  My wife, Kim, has depression.  Despite the stigma that still exists in our society, Kim has courageously given me permission to discuss her experience, and she helped me write this article.  Kim wants to do her part to eliminate the stigma of depression by helping people understand depression as a medical condition.

Kim began to experience depression at the age of 16.  She became sullen and withdrawn.  To their credit, her parents recognized that Kim had a medical condition, and they took her to a doctor who prescribed medication that helped her.

Over time, Kim became convinced that she had overcome her depression, and she stopped taking her medicine.  However, because depression is a medical condition, when Kim stopped taking her medicine, she again became sad and again withdrew from those closest to her.  Her family wasn’t sure what to make of her condition.  They tried to help and be supportive, but she remained reclusive.

Kim finally recognized that she was again suffering from depression, and she saw a doctor who once again prescribed her medication to stabilize her emotions.  I came into her life around that time, and together, we got her back into living a full, productive, and happy life.  As of today, Kim has been living a happy and emotionally stable life for several years thanks to the effective medication prescribed by her doctors and the love, support, and understanding that she receives from her entire family.

Kim is an example of both the dangers of depression and the promise of effective treatment combined with the support of family and friends.

Bruce Jamerson, tragically, appears to be an example of depression getting the better of him.  I don’t know if Bruce ever sought or obtained help.  I don’t know if his family and close friends saw his problem and understood it.  I don’t know if he was afraid to let anyone know of his condition for fear that the stigma of depression would affect his ability to perform his job by causing him to lose the high regard he had worked so hard over so many years to earn from so many people.

But I do know that depression can be managed and that people afflicted with this condition can live happy and fulfilled lives.  The woman I love provides me with that example every single day.

If you are close to someone with signs of depression, please take it seriously.  People with depression can be mean and can try to push you away.  Don’t let them.  Remember to hate the disease but love and support the victim by helping him or her to get treatment.

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