Depression
Today I am grateful for jigsaw puzzles--the literal and the figurative--that come together with patience and an open mind. I am also grateful for the recovery connections I have. They mean so much and help me in such significant ways.
DEPRESSION is a dangerous and damaging mental illness. Left untreated, it can be deadly. Depressed people die by suicide. Depressed people overdose on alcohol and other drugs. Depressed people forget to take care of themselves and may have more physical illnesses as well. That's some of the bad news.
My heart aches for those I personally know who have been impacted by their own or someone else's challenges with depression. My heart especially aches for those who have had loved ones die by suicide. My generation of my family, and the next one following, have known and continue to know the toll of depression. We are all still here, and there is hope.
Hope. The good news is that depression is treatable and effective ongoing results often come to those who seek treatment. Treatment often includes prescription medications and talk therapy, as well as healthy lifestyle choices like exercise, sufficient sleep, meditation, and social outlets. There is also good news in the dismantling of stigma which once only further trapped the mentally ill.
Stigma reduced, but not gone. As a local health clinic system implores, "Make It Okay" to talk about mental illness and seek help. I am proud to be part of my school's efforts to deliver a very good depression awareness and suicide prevention curriculum at three different grade levels. We began fifteen years ago.
When I talk to students I talk about how brains can get sick, just like the rest of our bodies can. I give them this to think about: "We wouldn't tell someone with cancer or a broken leg to just get over it. We can't tell someone with a mental illness to just get over it."
Alcohol is a depressant. In my drinking days, I knew the depression that comes with self-hatred fueled by alcohol. Recovery is a way out for a depressed alcoholic. There is a way out for those who suffer from clinical depression as well. Not all will survive this affliction, but let's make it possible for more to find a way out. Ongoing treatment and supportive family and friends, along with the strength and resilience of the depressed person, can lead to a fully-lived life not so heavily burdened.
Hope. How can I contribute to hope today? For those with depression, and those with other challenges? How can I be a catalyst for change?
DEPRESSION is a dangerous and damaging mental illness. Left untreated, it can be deadly. Depressed people die by suicide. Depressed people overdose on alcohol and other drugs. Depressed people forget to take care of themselves and may have more physical illnesses as well. That's some of the bad news.
My heart aches for those I personally know who have been impacted by their own or someone else's challenges with depression. My heart especially aches for those who have had loved ones die by suicide. My generation of my family, and the next one following, have known and continue to know the toll of depression. We are all still here, and there is hope.
Hope. The good news is that depression is treatable and effective ongoing results often come to those who seek treatment. Treatment often includes prescription medications and talk therapy, as well as healthy lifestyle choices like exercise, sufficient sleep, meditation, and social outlets. There is also good news in the dismantling of stigma which once only further trapped the mentally ill.
Stigma reduced, but not gone. As a local health clinic system implores, "Make It Okay" to talk about mental illness and seek help. I am proud to be part of my school's efforts to deliver a very good depression awareness and suicide prevention curriculum at three different grade levels. We began fifteen years ago.
When I talk to students I talk about how brains can get sick, just like the rest of our bodies can. I give them this to think about: "We wouldn't tell someone with cancer or a broken leg to just get over it. We can't tell someone with a mental illness to just get over it."
Alcohol is a depressant. In my drinking days, I knew the depression that comes with self-hatred fueled by alcohol. Recovery is a way out for a depressed alcoholic. There is a way out for those who suffer from clinical depression as well. Not all will survive this affliction, but let's make it possible for more to find a way out. Ongoing treatment and supportive family and friends, along with the strength and resilience of the depressed person, can lead to a fully-lived life not so heavily burdened.
Hope. How can I contribute to hope today? For those with depression, and those with other challenges? How can I be a catalyst for change?
Comments
Post a Comment