Rx: For Christmas Make a Telephone Call

What’s the most important gift you could give this holiday season? The Greek philosopher, Plato, once remarked, “Whoever likes being alone must be either a beast or a God”. I’d say Amen to that statement. Crisis workers tell us that at this time of the year, depression and suicide risk is highest. So what can we all do to decrease holiday melancholy? I’ve never seen it in the index of disease in medical texts, but loneliness should be listed in big print. It’s an illness that sooner or later disrupts the lives of many people. Chopin, the great pianist and composer, must have been deeply depressed. He complained of being, “alone, alone, alone”.