II ell/Ill
n you
If, "Wh
at your prob-
men.
In th fa
by to be obj i . You can 0 IV
feeling without drowning in it,
The AIDS toll
the AIDS epidermc seeps into communities across America, the
roll call of the dead and ailing grows longer. Here, In recent numbers,
i a reflection of the toll:
Ethnicity and AIDS '
Race or ethmoty of Americans report d wIth AIDS:
, non-Hispanic
Black, non-Hispanic
to
Asian / Padfic Islander
American Ind' I Alaska Native
Race / ethnicrty un nown
161,718
97,794
52,531
2,036
657
654
·AIDS c-ases by age
. Of total AIDS cases, patients' ages at time of diagnosis:
In thou nd
o 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80
'Under 5
5 to 12
13 to 19
20 to 24
25 to 29
30 to 34
I. 35 to 39
40 to 44
45 to 49
50 to 54
55 to 59
60 to 64
65 or older
SOURCE: National Centers for DIsease Control
LITTLE ROCK (AP) - Black
women in Arkansas a ix times
more likely to have th AIDS vi­
rus than white worn n, a state
health official says.
"U nless we do something
quick, �t is going to turn into a
serious health problem that d
not have easy solu ions," Bruce
Thomasson, administrator of the
AIDS Surveillan U nit of the
Health Department, id Thurs­
day.
Infection with Hl\', th virus
that causes AIDS, mo than dou­
bled among all Arkansas worn n
who gave birth during the first
halfoftheyearcompared with the
same period in 1992, Thomasson
told the Arkan ,a Minority
Health Commission.
The rate for the first six
months of this y r was 0 4
1,000, or 13 HIV­
out of 15,521 peopl . In the
first half of1992, the ra was 0.40
per 1,000, or six out of 15,799
tested. The rate was 0.45 for all of
1992.
During the firs ix months of
this year, the num r of HIV
cases among white women was
0.43 per 1,000, whil no white
women tested itiv in th fi
half of 1992. Fiv whi wom n
te ted positive from January
through June thi y ,whil
only three tested itive in all of
1992.
statistics so people will listen and
understand that this- is a real
problem.
"Our communities are not buy­
ing into this. They cannot see it,"
Patterson said.
The Health Department at­
tempts to test the blood of all ba­
bi s born in' Arkansas. The
anonymous tests show if the
mother is mv positive. Thomas­
son said today that about a fourth
of babies born to HIV-iiuected
mothers will develop the virus.
. Although the tests include only
women who have children, offi­
cials believe thestatistics apply to
all heterosexual women of child­
bearing age.
Since 1989, the department
has tested the blood of 99.7 per­
cent ofbabi born in the state.
o pain.
MaIntaining a moderate w tght may
reduce your risk of heart 'an ck .
American Hear't As ociation
By Dr. Chari W. F ulkn r
Co In
-Dear Dr. Faulkn r:
Something is wrong with me.
.Something is happening to my
mind and body. I used to feel
enthusiastic and lively, but now
I fi I physically and emotion­
ally weak. My energy level is
down and I'm always sl py.
For some re on, I just don't
have any interest in anything
anymore except my own prob­
lems. I am really useless. I can't
get enthusiastic about doing
anything. I feel lost, d erted, as
if I am all alone.
Life is so disappointing that I
really don't feel like getting out
of bed in e morning, even to
eat. I'm so tired that I could 81 p
24-hours a day. Am I sick? Am I
going crazy, or what?
a.J., Hartford, CT
Dear a.J.:
You have the classic symp-­
toms of depression. Perhaps, if
you analyzed your recent past,
you would find that something
has gone terribly wrong in your
life. Your depression might be
caused by disappointment, frus­
tration, family or job-related
problems, bills, or acombination
of these difficulties.
Blac wo e of'
child baring age
face g eate
THE DEPRESSED person
yearns for someone to affirm
their value as a human being:
They may desire someone to
take care of them, or may have a
serious physical illness. Depres­
sion is the signal that something
is wrong.
Dep ion' a f ling of d-
ness that may be caused by 10
of a love one, anger that has be­
come internalized, loss of self. -
teem, shame, extreme feelings of
guilt, lonelin negative expec­
tations, s If-blame, self-criti­
ci m, and the perception of
oneself as being inadequate.
Some dep people contem­
plate suicide.
What should you do? Get
regular erci . Find out the
cause of your dep ion. Stop
criticizingyourself. Get involved
in meaningful activity. Stay
around people, and do not isolate
yourself.
Also, use your time oonstruc­
tively. Do not allow your private
time to cause you gloom. Make
thi� work for you. 'Refue to
give in to failure. Plan alterna­
tives for whatever does not work
Change your own moods by
thinking about successess that
you've had. Relive the happy mo­
ments in your life. Stop dwelling
on your uncomfortable feelings,
Assert yourself. Burn off your
anger. Fight back at those who
abuse you. Stop being a coward;
REALJZE YOUR PERSONAL
VALUE.
Stop putting yourself down.
Stop feeling guilty. Take
chances, even if sU<XeSS is not
guaranteed. Give it a tty any­
way. Get tough when roblems
confront you. Don't back down to
hard times. Don't give in.
Establish a large, but realistic
goal in life and let nothing dis­
suade you from fighting to ac­
. complish it. Submerge yourself
in the things that you want to
obtain from your life and keep
plugging away to get them, in
spite of obstacles.
your life and get it back on track.
Everyone can become de­
pressed, but not everyone does
become depressed. Some people
are sharp enough to spot the
early signs of depression and
take immediate steps to counter
them. You can, too ..
If you are depressed, follow
the aboveadvice now, and watch
the sun shine in y� life.
Send. corresponce to Dr. Char­
les W. Faulkner, Post Office Box
20086, Seattle, WA 98102.
REPLACE THE negative
people in your life with people
who are fair, honest, positive
and supportive. Don't let other
people dump their problems on
you. If you do not want to hear
someone else's problems, avoid
them.
Depressed are you'iThen, en­
joy the rest that moments of de­
pression force you to get. Enjoy
the opportunity to re-evaluate
Children's Hospital
of Michigan's Auditorium
October 21, 1993
Sponsored by:
Pastoral Care Department
M
VIO
· REACTION
- REFLECTION I
-RESPONSE
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
CALL 745-5455
