?Down to 1: Depression Stories? by Margarita Go-Singco Holmes, Anvil Publishing, 2010

MYTH: Filipinos don?t get depressed. We?re a happy people, always seeing the silver lining in every cloud.

Fact: 12.4 million Filipinos have suffered or are suffering from clinical depression.

Part of the confusion regarding the popular perception of the happy-go-lucky Pinoy in contrast to the growing number of Filipinos being diagnosed with one form or another of depression lay in terminology.

When the recent World Values Survey showed that the Philippines ranked only 38th out of 52 countries on the ?happiness? scale, many Filipinos were surprised. Offended, even. How can those gloomy Danes (ranked first) be happier than singing, dancing, don?t-stop-believin? us?

As clinical psychologist Margarita Go-Singco Holmes? book points out, being sad or down in the dumps isn?t the same as being clinically depressed.

Clinical depression is a mental illness that Holmes likens to ?a thief. it takes away your joy, sense of wonder, the taste of your favorite food, even the smell of freshly washed hair.?

Therein lies the rub.

Mental illness remains one of the last taboo topics in Philippine society. Many Filipinos would sooner admit to having gonorrhea than any kind of mental problem.

A case in point ? which receives passing mention in the book ? was the accusation made during last year?s presidential election campaign that then candidate Noynoy Aquino had suffered from a depressive episode during his younger years. true or not, the engineers of this propaganda ploy obviously aimed to manipulate the public fear and anxiety that still surrounds the stigma of mental illness.

For men, especially, depression goes against the grain of Pinoy machismo ? it is seen as a sign of weakness, an inability to suck it up and deal with whatever life throws at you.

And yet, as Holmes? book reveals, depression is a disease that can strike anyone, no matter how wealthy, attractive, intelligent or successful one is. it is far more common than one might suspect, given the general reluctance to admit to suffering from depression.

Had Aquino chosen to admit to having been depressed at one point in his life, well so what? it might have immeasurably advanced the cause of mental health in the country. (On the other hand, given the general state of misinformation and misunderstanding that surrounds depression, it might have cost him the election.)

Fortunately, Holmes has found 10 brave souls who have come forward to share their experiences with depression, and how they have come to cope with it, live with it, and overcome it.

Among them are some people you might have heard of, such as designer Patis Tesoro, filmmaker Peque Gallaga, director Lore Reyes, and banker Roman Azanza.

Through frank and, in some cases, soul-baring interviews with Holmes, these ten succeed in lifting the veil that surrounds depression. By sharing their experiences with the symptoms of depression as well as its treatment through therapy and medication, they put the depressive in a clearer, more sympathetic light, and this can only encourage more people suffering from depression to come forward and seek the proper help.

Intended as a primer on depression, ?Down to 1? includes a useful test for determining the level of severity of depression (normal, mild, moderate and severe) and a section whose title is self-explanatory: ?How do I Know If I?m Clinically Depressed.?

This being a Margie Holmes book, there is also a useful section on ?Sex Life Before and After Medication,? which relates the possible side effects that anti-depressants might have, such as decreased libido.

Finally, the book includes a chapter on the final taboo: suicide. apart from dissecting some of the myths surrounding suicide, the book also includes stories by the interviewees regarding suicidal feelings and actual suicide attempts during their lowest points.

If nothing else, the stories in ?Down to 1? should let depression sufferers know that they are not alone in their pain, and that in itself can be therapeutic. ?

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