Even Money & Fame Cannot Cure Depression
Today was a truly sad day. We all lost a beloved, very funny comedian/actor, Robin Williams. It has been reported that he committed suicide after struggling a long time with depression and alcohol addiction. This has hit so many of us personally.
I am not a therapist nor am I an expert of the human mind. My words will not be shared a thousand times over for the masses to read nor while I be someone who people come to for advice~but what I do know about depression is from personal experience and a lifetime of struggling with it as well as having an anxiety disorder in the past few years. This is meant for even that one person struggling with depression, anxiety and/or other mental health issues that is having a difficult time reaching out for help for fear of judgment or feeling that no one will understand.
You are NOT alone...In this awful tragedy today that much has proven to be true. Depression can affect all socioeconomic "classes" as well as people who, to spite their smile and seemingly perfect life, cry in the dark for the pain to end. No one who has these struggles is alone....Even though the struggle itself causes just that exact feeling.
It's awfully sad that a well-known, popular and celebrated actor/comedian took his own life. Still, his life and career, though witnessed in the limelight by so many millions of us, was no less or more important than yours or mine...The difference is that his death will be felt by more people across the world because more people knew him. Because of that truth at least one silver lining gleams~ This can be what finally opens our eyes to the reality of mental diseases... Our dialogue too, I hope. We need to see that mental illness is no more of a blame on the person who has it than a person who has diabetes, cancer or any other medical problem. The problem is that the stigma of mental health keeps too many people from reaching out and asking for help. Alone, lonely, depressed and hopeless, many people turn to suicide.
And isolating oneself when depressed is not healthy. Yet who wants to be around other people when we feel judged by them or told thoughtlessly to "Cheer up"?
I am not talking about a bad mood or day or the result of a breakup or life change. While those feelings are very real, they can usually be lifted by time and understanding. Depression, one that is a chemical imbalance or brought on by other things like traumatic life events, addiction (although, what came first the addiction or the depression?), etc. is NOT just wished away. Some of us take medication(s), seek therapy or try out other outlets. Some of us do them all. Sometimes it works and the darkness and loneliness can lift while for other people there might be no change. Many different kinds of medications can be tried. It's a one step forward, 2 steps back dance at times... I should know. Some people find the right medication only to go off it after it starts to work because they think they are "cured" and don't need it anymore. Before you roll your eyes at what I just wrote you have to remember something before judging people with mental diseases~The same thing that makes us depressed, full of anxiety, doubt, fear etc (the brain) is the same thing that makes some of us think that we don't need the medications and treatment after a while. No one wants to have to depend on something just to feel like getting out of bed or in order to eat.
It's a vicious cycle....That is the phrase of this blog because many of us are going round and round, in and out of a deep sadness, falling in the same traps over and over, (either out of depression or a renewed hope once we get our depression in check) often discovering too late that everything we are doing/trying/needing is everything that is both helping and hurting us.
Addiction for example... While I certainly cannot speak for everyone else, I do know personally and by working with other people with alcohol and/or drug dependency that often there is a deficit in our feeling of self worth and that makes us turn to drugs or alcohol. No, I didn't seek it on the street. I have a condition that warrants me pain medications...Take something that your doctor prescribes you. Give it 3 weeks. Have sudden bursts of energy and euphoria after taking those damn pills. Now you are hooked. But soon you are coming down from that euphoric state, you are feeling guilty about needing a pill to make you happy and now you are depressed all over again. Words cannot explain what depression is to a person. It can be different in each person and there is no "cure all".
After news of Robin William's death hit the world I saw so many loving and supportive messages. Friends who deal with similar issues were writing posts about their own experiences. The news was chock full of celebrities sharing their grief over the loss. Some posts on face book really irked me though. I try not to judge people based on one bad or insensitive comment especially because I realize that only recently has the truth about brain "disorders" come to light but I saw one post where a person was saying that Robin Williams should not be held up as a celebrity of any kind...They decided that he was selfish and a wimp to take his own life.
I do NOT think suicide is the answer. If I did I wouldn't be around right now as I have struggled with it often. Yet how can anyone judge another human being and put such a stigma on mental health all in one sentence? That is why people hide their depression and other mental health issues...because we don't want to be seen as weak or broken. And I will say what I said 2 days ago on my face book status before this happened today, If you have a broken leg how would you feel if people expected you to run on it? If you had diabetes how would you like someone telling you that you are weak for taking medication to help balance your insulin levels? The brain is like any other part of the body~ It can become hurt, sick and damaged. Some people are born with it...Some people have it come over them in time.
I hope that if you feel depressed you will reach out for help. There is a number for a suicide prevention hotline at the end of this blog. There are many medications, therapists and other treatments.
And if you are someone who doesn't understand depression, anxiety and other mental diseases please start to educate yourself. None of us are immune to this...If it doesn't affect us personally it could be something a friend or family member is enduring. That darkness is deep and the hopelessness is like quicksand and it is as real as any other physical ailment because the result could be tragic... Please don't give up on yourself or a loved one who suffers with it. Reach out.
I am not a therapist nor am I an expert of the human mind. My words will not be shared a thousand times over for the masses to read nor while I be someone who people come to for advice~but what I do know about depression is from personal experience and a lifetime of struggling with it as well as having an anxiety disorder in the past few years. This is meant for even that one person struggling with depression, anxiety and/or other mental health issues that is having a difficult time reaching out for help for fear of judgment or feeling that no one will understand.
You are NOT alone...In this awful tragedy today that much has proven to be true. Depression can affect all socioeconomic "classes" as well as people who, to spite their smile and seemingly perfect life, cry in the dark for the pain to end. No one who has these struggles is alone....Even though the struggle itself causes just that exact feeling.
It's awfully sad that a well-known, popular and celebrated actor/comedian took his own life. Still, his life and career, though witnessed in the limelight by so many millions of us, was no less or more important than yours or mine...The difference is that his death will be felt by more people across the world because more people knew him. Because of that truth at least one silver lining gleams~ This can be what finally opens our eyes to the reality of mental diseases... Our dialogue too, I hope. We need to see that mental illness is no more of a blame on the person who has it than a person who has diabetes, cancer or any other medical problem. The problem is that the stigma of mental health keeps too many people from reaching out and asking for help. Alone, lonely, depressed and hopeless, many people turn to suicide.
And isolating oneself when depressed is not healthy. Yet who wants to be around other people when we feel judged by them or told thoughtlessly to "Cheer up"?
I am not talking about a bad mood or day or the result of a breakup or life change. While those feelings are very real, they can usually be lifted by time and understanding. Depression, one that is a chemical imbalance or brought on by other things like traumatic life events, addiction (although, what came first the addiction or the depression?), etc. is NOT just wished away. Some of us take medication(s), seek therapy or try out other outlets. Some of us do them all. Sometimes it works and the darkness and loneliness can lift while for other people there might be no change. Many different kinds of medications can be tried. It's a one step forward, 2 steps back dance at times... I should know. Some people find the right medication only to go off it after it starts to work because they think they are "cured" and don't need it anymore. Before you roll your eyes at what I just wrote you have to remember something before judging people with mental diseases~The same thing that makes us depressed, full of anxiety, doubt, fear etc (the brain) is the same thing that makes some of us think that we don't need the medications and treatment after a while. No one wants to have to depend on something just to feel like getting out of bed or in order to eat.
It's a vicious cycle....That is the phrase of this blog because many of us are going round and round, in and out of a deep sadness, falling in the same traps over and over, (either out of depression or a renewed hope once we get our depression in check) often discovering too late that everything we are doing/trying/needing is everything that is both helping and hurting us.
Addiction for example... While I certainly cannot speak for everyone else, I do know personally and by working with other people with alcohol and/or drug dependency that often there is a deficit in our feeling of self worth and that makes us turn to drugs or alcohol. No, I didn't seek it on the street. I have a condition that warrants me pain medications...Take something that your doctor prescribes you. Give it 3 weeks. Have sudden bursts of energy and euphoria after taking those damn pills. Now you are hooked. But soon you are coming down from that euphoric state, you are feeling guilty about needing a pill to make you happy and now you are depressed all over again. Words cannot explain what depression is to a person. It can be different in each person and there is no "cure all".
After news of Robin William's death hit the world I saw so many loving and supportive messages. Friends who deal with similar issues were writing posts about their own experiences. The news was chock full of celebrities sharing their grief over the loss. Some posts on face book really irked me though. I try not to judge people based on one bad or insensitive comment especially because I realize that only recently has the truth about brain "disorders" come to light but I saw one post where a person was saying that Robin Williams should not be held up as a celebrity of any kind...They decided that he was selfish and a wimp to take his own life.
I do NOT think suicide is the answer. If I did I wouldn't be around right now as I have struggled with it often. Yet how can anyone judge another human being and put such a stigma on mental health all in one sentence? That is why people hide their depression and other mental health issues...because we don't want to be seen as weak or broken. And I will say what I said 2 days ago on my face book status before this happened today, If you have a broken leg how would you feel if people expected you to run on it? If you had diabetes how would you like someone telling you that you are weak for taking medication to help balance your insulin levels? The brain is like any other part of the body~ It can become hurt, sick and damaged. Some people are born with it...Some people have it come over them in time.
I hope that if you feel depressed you will reach out for help. There is a number for a suicide prevention hotline at the end of this blog. There are many medications, therapists and other treatments.
And if you are someone who doesn't understand depression, anxiety and other mental diseases please start to educate yourself. None of us are immune to this...If it doesn't affect us personally it could be something a friend or family member is enduring. That darkness is deep and the hopelessness is like quicksand and it is as real as any other physical ailment because the result could be tragic... Please don't give up on yourself or a loved one who suffers with it. Reach out.
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