Environmental Decision Making Applied to Decommissioning Essay

There are three major risks that I worry about on a daily basis in my life. These risks are listed below in order of severity: 1. Depression – Six years ago I was diagnosed with clinical depression. Depression is a progressive and pathological disease that affects the hippocampus and other areas of the brain. There is no single cause of depression. Depression may be caused by a combination of genetic, environmental, or biochemical causes. In my case, I believe my depression is partly hereditary and related to the traumatic childhood event of my father’s premature death. Depression has also been linked with changes to levels of chemicals in the brain such as serotonin and norephinephrine. There are two widely used treatments for depression that have varying degrees of success. Psychotherapy is one treatment that may help some people who suffer from depression. For many people psychotherapy is an ineffective treatment. Anti-depressant drugs are another treatment that is often used in conjunction with psychotherapy. Although there is no scientific evidence that psychotherapy is an effective treatment for depression there is abundant scientific evidence that anti-depressants are an effective treatment for depression, but not necessarily a cure for depression. I currently take three different anti-depressants to control my depression. The risks associated with depression are great. The number one risk is suicide. A person suffering from depression is stricken with feelings of hopelessness and Environmental Decision Making Applied to Decommissioning Page 2 great emotional pain. Suicide is always in the back of a depressed person’s mind as a way to escape the world and depression. It has also been proven that men suffering depression have a 50% more likely chance of dying from cardiac disease than men who are not depressed. This is due to the overflow of stressor hormones that are released in a depressed person’s body. 2. Driving – Driving back and forth to work five days a week is an increasingly risky proposition as the highways become more and more congested with traffic. I have been in one serious accident over the last two years and have been in several near accidents. As more people use their cell phones while driving the risk for all drivers increases. Some states have outlawed the use of cell phones while driving and I believe all states should enact laws like this. Because my commute is fifty miles per day, my perceived sense of risk of having a fatal accident is high. 3. 401(k) Plan – With the economy in a deep recession and the stock markets at ten year lows, my 401(k) plan has suffered huge losses. If the economy and stock markets do not recover in the second half of 2009, then I will have to postpone my early retirement planned for the end of this November. This will definitely have an effect on my depression. Key Risk Without question the key risk for me is depression. As noted above this is a progressive disease and each year that goes by it is getting worse. In order to live a happy and Environmental Decision Making Applied to Decommissioning Page 3 fruitful life this is an unacceptable risk but there is not much I can do about it except continue to take my medications. There is no way to really quantify this risk in terms of numbers. Some factors that influence this risk are my job and my marriage. I have a very stressful job and my marriage is not a happy one. These two factors contribute greatly to my depression. If I can retire early this year, then I will feel much better without the daily grind of a stressful job. Perhaps then I can concentrate on improving my marriage and, thus, reducing my stress and depression further. Environmental Risk Environmental risks associated with driving will be reduced greatly if I can retire early this year. I estimate that without having to come to work each day my yearly mileage will be reduced to 4,000 miles per year from the current 11,000 miles. The risk of having a serious accident will be greatly reduced the less time I spend driving my car. Eliminating the working environment from my life will also reduce the stress in my life and could greatly improve my health by allowing me to spend more time exercising and doing other projects that I would like to do. This will, hopefully, have a profound positive affect on my depression.