“It’s a bit like walking down a long dark corridor never knowing when the light will go on.” -Neil Lennon
“Depression is a prison where you are both the suffering prisoner and the cruel jailer.” -Dorothy Rowe
There are few diseases that suck the soul out of a person like depression. It is a mood disorder which causes a lack of emotion and a loss of interest in life. Depression is not a sign of a “weak” personality, and it is not something one can simply “snap out” of. People with depression have trouble finding the motivation to do many day-to-day activities, and often feel like life is not worth living. In its most extreme form, depression can drive one to commit suicide.
The reason for this post is articles like this one, which describes depression as the new “trendy illness.” If you have not seen this article before, I suggest standing near a wall while reading, so you can hit your head against it. The article goes on to describe how the middle-class women saying they are depressed should “get a grip,” and that the poor never suffer from it. It also states that it is a relatively new condition, and that her “mother’s generation never dealt with it.” There is a lot of misinformation and confusion surrounding this mental disorder, and it has caused a great deal of harm to those who actually suffer from it.
Depression has been one of the toughest illnesses to subdue. Only one-third of people with major depression will be cured after a single round of treatment. For the majority of people, medicine still does not work. Currently, the best cure is a regular exercise program, which can cure people with mild depression and help improve those with moderate or severe depression. The biggest problem with this method is that those who are depressed have trouble finding the motivation to do much of anything, including exercise. Maintaining a regular exercise program is nearly impossible for most with depression.
For those of you who think you have depression, help is near, and people want to help you. Learning more about your disease is a great first step towards recovery, as well as understanding that depression can affect anybody, regardless of age or socioeconomic status. Therapy, medicine, diet, and exercise can always be a great help when trying to cure depression.
If you believe a friend or family member has depression, remind them that you are there for them. In addition, point them in the direction of additional helpful resources, such as therapists and doctors. Once again, depression is not a weakness and there is nothing wrong with seeking help for it. My grandfather suffered from depression and has since recovered, and my sister is currently suffering from it. It is a very real disease that is one of the most difficult to overcome.
Suicide Hotline: 1-800-784-2433
Texting: Text ANSWER to 839863
I found your post super interesting. Depression is definitely a real thing a family member of mine is currently struggling with it because of the aftermath of a car accident. I think that is ridiculous to call it a “trendy illness”. But having said that there are definitely different levels that need to be taken into consideration.
Great article and really hit home for me, I has someone real close to me suffer from depression and it is a serious issue. He was finally able to over come it with the help of exercise and a group of friends who stuck by him and supported him but it definitely is not a “trendy illness”. However this article could have used more scientific evidence and studies showing that depression is real and does really effect people. Still a great read.
Great post. More statistics on depression would have been nice to see the severity of depression. I really agree when you say that the article saying depression is a trend was ignorant. It is ignorant for who would want such a heart breaking disease. When you mentioned working out as a cure I started to think. Is working out really a “cure.” Or maybe just something temporary to get your mind off of your depression that usually controls your life. To me depression might not have a real cure quite yet, but rather just a bunch of techniques to help suppress the symptoms. While depression is something you can not control,I know from watching a family member struggle with it the real cure comes from within. While emotions are hard to control, I do know my cousin over came depression without medicine and the usual “cures.” In the end I find this interesting. Here is a link that further expresses my argument about how a person can overcome depression on their own ( again I also know this is a very hard disease to tackle on your own and taking it on your self is not recommend for MOST) http://www.wikihow.com/Fight-Depression-Without-Drugs
I found this blog to be very interesting. Depression is a very real issue among young people I believe. I have had a friend that acted out of the ordinary for weeks on end and he always gave me the same answer “I’m fine.” I started bringing my friend to the gym like you addressed in your blog and that started helping out tremendously. We can’t ignore this issue as we all suffer from it at some point. Below is a link for more information as well. http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/depression/index.shtml