How real is depression to you?

How real is depression to you?

Like I always say… You never know a persons story until they tell you. So easily we judge people but we never know their full stories. We just take bits and pieces and create our own idea of who they are. Sadly we create these stories with out asking any questions. We create these stories with having little to no information.

We all get so caught up in the bullsh*t of our own lives. We forget that there are others going through so many things that are much deeper than what we find to be a struggle. We stress over things as minuet as concert tickets and phone bills that we totally look over things like depression and suicide. We forget that there are people who are living lives that are more than most can handle.

Depression Statistics

According to the CDC website as of March 2011; 1 in 10 American adults have reported depression. Depression is an illness that can be totally debilitating to sufferers. It can totally halt your day to day living. Leaving you merely a shell of who you typically are. Depression can make tasks such as going to work or school nearly impossible. And with so many people being sufferers how is it that it is not being addressed on a greater scale?

Depression is Real

I too am a victim of depression. At a very young age I was diagnosed. I’ve had the days where I wouldn’t get out of bed. I’ve had the days when the tears wouldn’t stop… I remember the day I tried to kill myself. I was lonely beyond words. I just felt pain and could not explain where it was coming from.

My mom took me to seek help for my psychological health but she ignored much of what the doctor had to say. Eventually my pain was more than I wanted to feel and I took about 10 Amitriptyline.

I slid into a very deep sleep and woke up almost a day later. And when I woke up I realized that God wants me to fight and so I did. From that moment I fought as much as possible with my disorder.

I have gotten my depression under control in recent years but there are some people who have a harder time than others. Like a childhood friend of mine who’s having a hard time at the moment. What I admire about her is the strength she has to speak out about it. She is using her Facebook page as a way to create awareness. I wish I had the strength to do the same when I was in turmoil. But I love that though she is having a bout with her depression, but is not letting it break her.

Sadly the black community disregards mental illness and we refuse to acknowledge it let alone seek help. Unfortunately that is a very deadly stigmatism. We have to learn that our mental health is just as important as our physical health. Depression is a real disorder. We have to start acknowledging that there are so many people… Men, Women, Children and Adults, who are suffering in silence. In so many cases this silence leads to death. We have to become more aware. We have to become more educated. Depression is real. And it hurts. Take the time to listen to the silence!

Warning Signs

Warning signs of suicide with depression include:

• A sudden switch from being very sad to being very calm or appearing to be happy
• Always talking or thinking about death
• Clinical depression (deep sadness, loss of interest, trouble sleeping and eating) that gets worst Having a “death wish,” tempting fate by taking risks that could lead to death, such as driving through red lights
• Losing interest in things one used to care about
• Making comments about being hopeless, helpless, or worthless
• Putting affairs in order, tying up loose ends, changing a will
• Saying things like “It would be better if I wasn’t here” or “I want out”
• Talking about suicide (killing one’s self)
• Visiting or calling people one cares about