Depression

First, I want to apologize to all my readers for the infrequency of my posts. School and work has been taking a mental and physical toll on me which has caused me to put this blog on the wayside. However, I’m working to get back to some sense of routine with my posts. I may not be able to post each week but I’m looking to post every other week in order to put the focus needed on my schoolwork and actual job. So again, I apologize.

This post was a long time coming and the subject is on depression. I was having an issue on how I wanted to approach this topic because I did not want it to come off too technical. I’m sure that even though you are interested in these topics you are not interested to the point where you could diagnose your friends and family members. So I decided I wanted to give a synopsis of what depression is and may look like and then what you can do as a person either dealing with depression or to assist someone that you care for that may be dealing with it (short of seeing a licensed therapist for actual therapeutic interventions).

When we think of depression we think of being sad and this may be part of it but not the whole story. Imagine if you had a dog and then it died in a horrible accident, you failed a very crucial test that would determine your academic future or you injured yourself very drastically to the point you can’t function normally. Now imagine if all those things happened at the same time. That intense dread that I assume you may feel is what a person experiencing depression is feeling. It’s an overwhelming feeling of sad and hopelessness with no end in sight. Some people may have episodes like this and are able to bounce back and others unfortunately don’t. I can admit that I have had a few depressive episodes in my life. It’s not a good feeling at all and often it seems like nothing can cheer you up. Understanding this is important when you hear someone that you care about is diagnosed with depression.

Anyone that knows me knows that I am a big advocate for therapy. I still need to find myself a therapist but that’s a post for another day. But I understand that some people may have an aversion to therapy but they still need the help. One thing you could do if a person is dealing with depression is listen. People think that this a simple task but once you give the green light to be that friend in need you have to be ready for what you hear because you may not like or even understand the information that is being provided to you. But you have to listen without judging or trying to fix everything, unless they ask for your advice. Statements like “oh that isn’t too bad, just get over it” is a terrible statement. Everyone handles things differently and what may not affect you may affect the next person. Check in with these friends as well. They may not reach out because they don’t want to burden you but they can still be hurting. With a check in you show that you actually care about their well-being and you want to be a helping hand during their problematic times. But for more serious cases I would strongly recommend seeking out therapy. In the state of NY if you call 311 they can provide you with different resources near you that can assist with depression such as hotlines and affordable therapists.