Depression

Someone posted a description of all the facets of depression on Facebook this morning and I was sort of taken aback by the accuracy.  I went through all of those miseries for a whole lot of years and I'm amazed that I survived it.  You don't think you'll ever survive as you're going through it but I think the masses of information on depression available these days will give hope to those suffering.  And it is "suffering"!  I don't ever want to be beaten down like that ever again!

Every time I get normally depressed (usually by some horrible thing happening on the news), I worry that I won't rise above it, that this time I'll sink completely down and it's frightening.  I believe that once you have had a true depression you are susceptible to it happening again.  It might be because our reserve has weakened or that we are just more sensitive than average people.  Whichever, it will remain a constant battle to overcome depression for the rest of our lives.

I live a pretty peaceful life but I hold in the back of my mind a slight dread of any catastrophe involving my family.  I already know I wouldn't survive if anything happened to them but I wouldn't want to, anyway.

When the young boy was murdered last week, my heart went out to his mother who has to deal with seeing her son die in front of her.  A senseless and cruel death and one she tried to prevent but was unable to do so.  I wanted to comfort her in some way but there are no words that can ease that kind of pain.  And so I suffered in my own way along with her.

Today, I'm not depressed even in a normal way and that gives me confidence that I am stronger than before, that I would never willingly let myself become a victim ever again.  There is hope.  I wish so much that we could instill that feeling of hope for a better time in every person suffering from depression.  The helpless feeling that nothing will change is what drains us but even a hand to hold or a shoulder to lean on can make all the difference in the world.  I never had that during my depression so it worsened until it was so bad that I needed counseling and that is what saved me.

You never know who is depressed but putting on a happy face for the public.  You never know if one kind word saves them from giving up completely or if one cruel word sends them over the edge so choose your words carefully.