DEPRESSION
Have you ever stopped to think about depression and wonder what it really is. How it affects someone. Or have you wondered what someone going through depression feels or have you been confused by the depressed person’s actions. What is depression, really?
The definition of depression is: a disorder marked by persistent sadness, inactivity, difficulty in thinking and concentrating; a significant increase or decrease in appetite and time spent sleeping, feelings of dejection and hopelessness and sometimes suicidal thoughts. Others simply define depression as a chemical imbalance in your brain. Whichever definition you prefer, my thoughts are that it’s a much more serious illness than most believe.
Wow, the first definition tells about a lot of change for someone suffering from this disorder. I have to admit to not knowing if I should call it a disease, disorder or something else. I do know that the reaction someone gets when admitting to having this disorder is still speculative. I’ve seen people roll their eyes; I’ve seen the “there’s no such thing” look and I’ve certainly heard “Just snap out of it” or “this is just an excuse not to do what they have to do”.
Depression Today
This type of thinking is what is still causing the stigma around this disorder. I know people who have depression-(diagnosed by a doctor) who won’t admit it to anyone and certainly not at work. When admitting it at work, depression translates into you not being able to do your work the way you should.
Why is that? If someone came into work with a stomach disorder, or a broken leg or any myriad of other disorders you would probably hear “well, take care of yourself and just do the best ya can”.
Why is it because your brain has a disorder we get the reaction we get if we admit to depression. If my pancreas has something wrong, or my back or even my nose has something wrong–it’s OK, but the brain–well that’s a whole other ballgame. The brain can’t possibly have anything wrong with it except for something like a stroke or a tumor, etc.; then it’s acceptable for your brain to be sick without the connotation that you are sick in the head.
If the cells in any other part of my body can make a wrong turn and cause me an illness, why not my brain?? Why is my brain getting sick, hard for people to understand and accept? And since we are talking about my brain, why isn’t absolutely anything that goes wrong with it high priority; after all, my brain is what runs the whole rest of my body.
That’s how important your brain is–it runs the whole show, so should get top notch treatment, don’t you think?
The Stigma of ……..
And the stigma is even worse if you are male. God forbid that a man or boy admit to feeling down and most certainly they should be able to feel this way. Just suck it up, go about their business because there is no need to go see a doctor.
Now, just stop and imagine–you are a young man that can barely get out of bed in the morning because the feeling of hopelessness makes going to classes just too frightening and just way too much. Trying to cope feels like you are dragging a full sized car around with you and because it’s so hard a task, you can’t see how to complete your day. You’re stumped and can’t even figure out why.
It doesn’t even occur to you that you need a doctor. And because you are so good at hiding the depression, your family and friends don’t know that something is wrong so they can tell you to see a doctor. Or you are 18, and even though you need a doctor, no one can make you see one.
After all, what’s the big deal–I’m fine.
Feelings of Being Depressed
Hopelessness, unwanted, inadequate, worthless and unlovable are just a few of the words or feelings that seem to continually loop through a depressed person’s thoughts. Simple care of a family or going to work certainly seems like too big a job for someone with depression. Instead they just want to pull the covers up over their heads and go back to sleep. Sleeping is the only time to get away from all the feelings that seem to never go away.
I want to throw some thoughts out there–I know that some people are beginning to look at depression as a legit illness, but is it happening fast enough.
Is this so called disorder of being overwhelmed and extreme hopelessness at the heart of some trouble we’ve seen or are seeing in our communities? I know a young man that is an addict and suffers from depression. He did before he became an addict and still does even though he is in recovery. I can’t help but wonder if the untreated depression led to self-medicating which can lead to addiction as a way of coping. A vicious cycle–which came first–the chicken or the egg.
My Wonderings
This is just my many thoughts on the subject of depression and the stigma that still surrounds it. It needs to be taken much more seriously than it is in our ordinary, everyday lives. I can’t help but wonder if suicide rates would go down, if tragedies like Columbine or Sandy Hook wouldn’t have happened or if the addiction epidemic would be so high in our communities right now if plain, ole, simple depression were a much more acceptable illness to treat than it is now.
This post was not meant to sound like a sermon and I don’t claim to be a doctor, but rather I’m sharing some of my observations about a touchy, but very important subject in today’s society. If you believe you are suffering from this disorder or know someone who is, think about getting medical treatment before it gets much worse. The possibility of feeling much better is greater than doing nothing.
Stay Awesome,
Cher
Relevant Reading
Meditation may help with depression
Pandemic of Addiction
Ways to De-stress
If you think you or someone you know is suffering from depression, contact the National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357) of visit their site.
There is also another charity organization called MIND that offers 24 hour service at 1-800-123-3393. Please pass both of these numbers on to anyone you think may need this information.
Please share this post with someone, if you suspect they may need help and/or use the national hotline number.
Share it with others in case they know someone. Much appreciated!
