Depression

Harold Arnold looked around the waiting room as he sat calmly waiting for his appointment with the therapist. He wasn’t sure why he was actually here, but his wife had said he “needed help.” She believed that he was different since the car accident a year ago, when his longtime friend didn’t see the red light and ran into oncoming traffic. After having driven a bus route for over 40 years before retiring at the age of 70, Mr. Arnold saw the collision coming but could do nothing to stop it. Mr. Arnold had been in the passenger side at the time and received only a few cuts and bruises, but his friend who had been driving sustained massive injuries and died a few hours later at the hospital. Yes, it was hard to have a friend die, but at the age of 84, Mr. Arnold had lost a number of family members and friends, and he expected to lose many more in the upcoming years. Maybe he had lost some weight over the past few months and was having difficulty sleeping at night, with a few more headaches during the day. What did his wife expect at his age? After his stroke several years ago, he never returned to the outdoor activities of hunting and fishing that he once enjoyed. He was feeling a bit tense; these types of hassles would be hard on any guy. But he was used to change-growing up as a “military brat” and having been the son of an army colonel who had served in the First World War, he learned as a young boy how to “keep a stiff upper lip” and “never show weakness” as well as adapt to change. And at times he missed his son who had moved to Florida several months ago after his own retirement to be closer to the grandchildren-Mr. Arnold’s greatgrandchildren. It was hard for Mr. Arnold and his wife to no longer have their only child living nearby, and they rarely heard from him. Had he been a terrible father and an even worse grandfather? Maybe it was hopeless.