Depression is a hard disease to deal with. I have it and I'm working on my recovery, it's a long, slow road but I'm already starting to feel better. I've felt pretty good a few days lately which hasn't happened for a long time, in fact it's been years.
I felt inspired to share some signs to watch for, it has been on my mind so much lately that I wish someone had confronted me about it sooner. I wish I had sought help sooner. I gave up so much of my life to this disease and I don't want you to do the same thing.
What have I discovered on this journey? I have discovered that asking for help doesn't make me weak, it makes me stronger. I am not alone. My condition CAN be treated. I can become myself again, it will just take time and patience.
Please read this list and seek help if you (or someone you love) have depression. These symptoms are things that occur often or on an almost daily basis.
Frequent sadness
Irritablility
Low energy
Trouble sleeping
Fatigue
Significant weight loss or weight gain
Feeling worthless or guilty for no reason
Loss of interest in your favorite activities
People say that you act agitated or restless
You've slowed down (softer voice, take more time moving into action)
You feel isolated from family and friends
Trouble concentrating or making decisions
Thoughts of death or suicide
Do your symptoms affect your ability to function or be yourself on a daily basis?
I encourage you to check out these websites if these symptoms apply to you or someone you love. Get help. Be yourself again, it's not too late.
symptoms assessor to take to your doctor
depression topics on web md
Thank you for stopping by. Please leave me a message and a backlink. I'd love to hear your thoughts!
Cindy
6 comments:
cinj,
Thank you for sharing this deeply personal information with us. I am so very glad you discovered you were depressed and are on the journey back to yourself. I wish you joy and peace in your journey. Gail
Gail,
I have been thinking about this subject so much lately, I just couldn't get it off my mind. I hope that by being open and discussing it honestly, some people may see that it's not a subject that should be hidden or avoided. Thanks for the well wishes.
Cinj, I suffer of this, also, and it is astounding how many people do. It runs in my birth family. You are sweet and brave to disclose your problem and share with others. I think to write about something helps me, it is therapeutic. I usually feel better in the summertime, maybe it is the sunlight. This winter I had to up my meds a little, I knew I was down. Whatever helps you, I hope you find it. Blogging helped me this winter, but I got nothing else done. Don't know how you manage with the children to care for. Keep us posted about how you are doing. Tomorrow, I have to pull weeds - mostly that scourge garlic mustard. Smiles!
Cinj, I admire and respect you for sharing this. I have a relative that has suffered with severe, disabling depression. It's really an awful illness, and you have my empathy. It takes courage to seek help, and it's not easy to treat. I'm glad to say that my relative has been doing much better in the past year. I wish you many more good days to come, and always more good days than bad.
Depression is caused by chemical imbalances in a person's brain, there is hope and help. There are so many people who don't understand but depression is becoming more wide spread than ever. You are a brave person to share what you are going through!
I work with a young woman, her husband hung himself right before Thanksgiving. It's been so difficult watching her, seeing her pain but I too admire her for her openness and honesty about what she's going through. We all had no idea what she was dealing with, she painted a wonderful love story about her and her husband so it was a total shock to us when this happened.
Cinj, if you can help one person who reads your story, your sharing is worth everything!
Hugs,
Kathi
Barbee- I know what you mean. Thanks for sharing! This winter was especially hard for me too, but it brought me to the realization that I needed to seek help. It helped that I had a friend and a cousin that both told me they had it. I felt more like I wasn't alone in this journey. My cousin told me that it runs in our family too. It's a big problem to deal with. Expressing my thoughts through writing and talking helps me to deal with my issues better. Spring and summer definately help to put me into a better frame of mind too. I have had some difficulty dealing with it and having kids. I feel so guilty sometimes and I just can't stand it. I'm educated and I know how important it is to be active, involved, and communicate with them. Sometimes it's hard enough to drag myself out of bed let alone deal with loud, energetic children. It takes a lot of energy not to yell at them just for being kids. It helps that MIL takes them for vacation sometimes.
GG- Thanks. It makes me feel good to be able to talk about it and not having people put me down for sharing too much information. Maybe one day someone will find what causes this so it can be eliminated.
Kathi- It seems like I find more and more people who have this disease. I'm not sure if it's the fact that people are getting more educated about it and are seeking help, the fact that people are being more open to discussing personal issues with others, or that there are so many more problems in the world. Maybe it's a combination of the three.
Taking your own life is never the best answer, it just makes those who love you got hrough that much more. I know it is hard, but no one should have to suffer in silence. There is always a way out and people are so understanding. I admit that I have thought about what would happen if I were gone many times. I just can't see how taking my life will make anything better. It will help me end my misery, but look what it will do to those I leave behind. They will blame themselves and it may possibly cause them to sink into depression. I just can't be that selfish. I feel so bad for your friend. It's hard enough when you loose a loved one to an illness, but when you think about what you could have done to prevent what happened to them. It's just unbearable!
Many people choose to ignore the obvious until it's too late. They like to deny having problems in their lives to themselves and the world as a whole. No one is perfect, no one has a perfect life. It just can't happen.
I hope that I can help someone out there.
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