20060623 Doug Duncan: An Indiscriminate Illness an Often Hidden Struggle

Doug Duncan

June 23, 2006

Although I have not always agreed with some of Doug Duncan’s political positions, I’ve always admired Mr. Duncan’s integrity and commitment.

Sometime ago, as he was preparing to run for governor, I had the fortune to have lunch with him.

He is an extremely personable and I thoroughly enjoyed talking with him.

With this sudden turn of events, I hold him and his family I my prayers and the respect and esteem in which I hold him is only buoyed. We need more folks like him in the political arena…

An Indiscriminate Illness, an Often Hidden Struggle

By Susan Levine, Washington Post Staff Writer, Friday, June 23, 2006; A04

Nearly one in 10 adult Americans deals with depression every year, struggling through a range of often debilitating symptoms, seeking help if they are smart or fortunate, and trying to carry on with life.

Few do so during a run for political office.

"A campaign is an extreme, all-or-nothing intense period, and treatment for depression is an intense period," said psychiatrist Frederick Goodwin, a professor at George Washington University and former director of the National Institute of Mental Health. "If they coincide, that's not good. . . . You can't take sick leave in the middle of a campaign."

In withdrawing from the Maryland gubernatorial race yesterday, Montgomery County Executive Douglas M. Duncan acknowledged that reality. A doctor had diagnosed his depression Monday after hearing him describe such warning signs as a sudden loss of appetite, flagging energy and difficulty sleeping. Two days later, he realized he had only one option.

"It's time for me to focus on my health," Duncan (D) said.

His decision and public disclosure elicited praise from mental health experts and advocates. Far too frequently, they said, people grappling with depression hide their problems, especially if they work in professions where disclosure could put their job or career at risk.

"There is an enormous amount of stress to keep quiet, and you just aren't able to get the same amount of support," said Johns Hopkins University professor Kay Redfield Jamison. As a psychologist who has battled bipolar disorder, she empathizes greatly with Duncan.

"Just having this kind of illness is difficult enough," she said. "It's so incredibly painful and hard to cope with, even though it's treatable."

Although people may understand depression better than they did a decade ago, Goodwin and Jamison said, many misconceptions remain about the illness, which affects more than 20 million American adults.

Read the rest here: An Indiscriminate Illness, an Often Hidden Struggle

And for related materials:

Duncan Drops Bid for Governor, Pitting O'Malley vs. Ehrlich in Md.

Depression Led to Final Decision

An Indiscriminate Illness, an Often Hidden Struggle

In Politics, a More Upbeat Mood About Depression

Full Coverage: Maryland Politics

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