Depression, Let's Talk About it!!!

Enough....ENOUGH ALREADY!  I wish I could program every brain in this world to understand that CLINICAL DEPRESSION is NOT the same as discouragement.

Discouragement is a condition that is situational and CAN be treated through counseling, and behavioral training.

CLINICAL DEPRESSION is a MEDICAL condition.  It is literally when for whatever the reason (usually some trigger like severe illness), causes a body to stop making the three chemicals that we need to feel sated.  The three chemicals are Serotonin, Neurepinephrine, and Dopamine.  Usually depression is caused by a lack of Serotonin.  This severe condition is usually treatable with a broad choice of medications. 

If an insulin dependent diabetic stopped taking their insulin eventually (and probably sooner than later) they would die.  Why don't people understand that if they stop, cold turkey, from taking their anti-depressant medications they will die.  What is worse they may die by their own hand!

Clinical depression is a liar that tells you, "You're a waste of space, you NEED to die, you're a burden on your family, YOU MUST DIE!"  When I battled my clinical depression (for 4 long years because I was too foolish to take anti-depressants) I finally reached a point where the world had all turned gray.  I could not get out of bed to go to the bathroom (4 feet away).  I was frozen in a gray world where every single activity was excruciatingly hard! 

I found out today about a friend of a friend who attempted suicide.  The person was convinced by a caring partner to quit taking all psychiatric meds....all at once.  Gratefully they survived.  There are so many that DON'T SURVIVE!

For one thing, let's start talking about it!  My whole life these types of things have been spoken about in dark whispers.  "Did you know that her Father killed himself?"  I was astounded when the famous actress Katherine Hepburn spoke openly about her beloved brother killing himself.  It took great courage for her to share that vulnerability in her life that happened when she was still quite young.

Now let's speak of the children of those that kill themselves.  Medical science has shown a hereditary link in families to clinical depression.  Even without that burden many children of suicides kill themselves out of desire to be with that beloved parent, or out of imprinting.  Imprinting is when someone critically important to our sense of identity behaves in a certain manner and we find ourselves behaving in a like manner, even if we don't consciously wish to behave that way.

I wish every single person that battles clinical depression could open their door and hurry outside, or into the hall and scream, "I want to die.....HELP ME!"  Then I wish that people would actually find help for those people.  There IS help.  There are many wonderful organizations that exist specifically for helping people who are a threat to themselves.

If you have a spouse, parent, child, friend, acquaintance that is suicidal PLEASE GET THEM HELP.  Do not be in denial, until you discover your beloved hanging from the ceiling or lying on their bed dead from overdose.  GET HELP!

I wish that I could NEVER hear one more time in my lifetime that someone has killed themselves or tried to kill themselves.  I wish that we would begin to find ways and means to reach out to others.  I wish that we could start a dialogue and keep it going about effective ways to fight depression, anxiety, and other psychological disorders.  Oh wait....WE CAN!  Let's all make a goal to quit whispering about these things and speak openly....let's educate ourselves, and our family and help anyone that needs that help.

Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for 25 years for trying to create freedom for his people in South Africa.  He eventually ended apartheid, and became President of his County.

There can be great power in one....and even more power when we unite with others that have the same goals and dreams!  Let's quit hiding from this plague and help each other.