National Depression Awareness Month

[Stressfactor]

I just thought I would throw this out there because I only recently became aware that depression awareness has a whole month devoted to it.

I know that there is still a stigma associated with depression that can be hard to overcome.

So that is why I am not ashamed to say flat out...

I have depression.

Mostly I suffer from situational depression and anxiety disorders. I have been in counseling off and on. Most recently I have been in counseling for about a year. I do not take medication for my problem currently but I am considering starting... at least the possibility of keeping some anti-anxiety meds in the cabinet for those times when my anxiety disorder goes off the scale and I can't control it with the techniques I've been taught by my counselor.

But I'd like to say that if ANYONE out there has thought that they might be depressed GO. Talk to someone. Find a counselor at the very least and find out where you stand. If nothing else it feels really good to talk over your troubles with someone who might be able to provide new insights into your problems and/or into yourself.

Sometimes depression is about where you are in your life sometimes it's more than that but either way it doesn't decrease the impact it can have on your life.

Depression is also more than just "feeling sad". In fact, sometimes it can make you angry, sometimes it can make you frustrated, sometimes it can make you restless, etc.

Depression or ANY mental illness should NOT be a source of shame. It's a struggle and those who seek help to deal with it and who go about their daily lives dealing with it should be congratulated not seen with distrust.

But for those who walk the path of life with depression as an occasional or constant companion I salute you and I say I'm one of you as well and I refuse to be ashamed of it.

[K-DoG7p7]

Interesting...
I've been listening to a lot nirvana lately..

[stevapalooza]

sometimes it can make you angry, sometimes it can make you frustrated, sometimes it can make you restless, etc.


Sometimes when we touch, the depression is too much

[Ethan Van Sciver]

I love commercials for anti-depression drugs. Fat women in grey sweats, sitting in a dark room on the sofa, with a husband in the background, doing the ironing and looking worried but resentful. Black and white footage of people with their heads in their hands. I LOL.

[WillieLee]

Dude, get medication.

[WillieLee]

Hey Ethan, is that an HK in your photo?

[Weeto]

Depression isn't much fun.

I've suffered from it for at least 6 years and it has a serious effect on my life. I have difficulty coping at times with everyday stuff. I also suffer from anxiety but I try to put a brave face on things and bottle everything up.

To make things worse, I was recently taken off incapacity benefit along with a lot of other claimants and I'm pretty sure that a lot of other people with anxiety and depression will be hit by this. I don't think a lot of medical workers understand quite how depression can affect people. Trying to rush people with genuine and serious illness back to full time work is going to backfire in many cases as I know I would seriously struggle to cope with full time work at the moment. I have put an appeal in as 40% of appeals have been successful so far. Apparently 94% of people who attended medicals have failed them, with only people with huge health problems passing compared to more than 83% of people passing under the old system where medicals weren't always carried out and were based on the person's ability to work full time rather than being able to do anything at all.

I look fairly healthy physically and can get by reasonably well on certain days but there are other days that I just don't want to get up the next morning and go through the same routine as usual. Trying to explain this sort of thing is difficult as some people can't understand why I can be OK one day and ill the next.

I want to be at work and in good health but I need time and support to recover and trying to get me into an office for 35 hours a week when I'm not fully fit doesn't seem the best way to help, especially when I'm likely to mess up at interview due to anxiety and depression anyway. Even if I can get a job, I'll probably have a hell of a time trying to cope with a pressured environment as I'll be expected to be able to cope like everyone else.