Depression. Something that many find "difficult" to talk about. The thing is it affects us all. Either we have suffered in one way or another, or we know someone in our lives that it affects.
Depression does not discriminate. It affects everyone no matter what their race, religion, their color or thier age. Depression comes in many forms. It may be simply a feeling of being "down" or it may be so serious that it affects your every day life to the point where you cannot control it.
I didn't know how bad depression was until I was about 13. One day I came home from school and my mother wasn't there. I had phoned her work and she didn't show up. No one knew where my mom was until later that evening. My great aunt showed up and told me that she had gone to my aunts in another province (I live in Canada). The thing was that she wasn't only there but was doing things "out of the ordinary" for her. Another thing that bothered me was that both my great aunt and my uncle didn't seem to surprised. I didn't get a full explanation at the time. All I knew was that my mom was unstable.
The second time it happened, my mom took me in the middle of the night to go for the "summer vacation" we never had. It was my first week at my new school and my mother decided that this was the time for my "summer vacation". I knew something was up from the get go. We ended up going to the aunts that my mom had gone to before. My mom started smoking (pot) and drinking..very out of character for her. I confronted her and she realized what she was doing so we went back home, where she promptly checked herself into the mental ward of the general hospital. I was 13 years old and she left me to go find my aunt in the middle of the night.
My mother stayed in the hospital for 2 months. I lived temporarily with my aunt and uncle. Through begging and pleading I asked them to make me understand what was wrong with my mother. I got several "half truths".
My mother had a couple of breakdowns after that which were not bad, but enough to have me very worried. About a year after she had checked into the mental ward of the hospital my grandfather died. This prompted the beginning of the end for me.
I came home from school a week after my grandfathers death to find my mother "asleep" in her bed. Very out of character for her. I heard her get up to go to the washroom and thought she'd be up. She was sitting on the side of her bed and I tried to talk to her..and got nothing. She then laid down and she wasn't responding to anything. I phoned my uncle who came over and also could not wake her up. The ambulance was called and one ambulance worker tried to revive her while the other talked to me. I was told to give him all the medication my mother was on. It took me THREE trips to the bathroom. I will never forget the look on his face. EVER.
My mom was again admitted into the mental ward. This time for only one month. I finally found out about Manic Depression.
To this day my mom is ok. She will never be "well". She doesn't respond to medications anymore. Her brain..in a laymans way of explaining runs about 100 times faster than an average person. You know when you feel you have so many things to think about..it drives you nuts? Amplify that by 100 and you have my mothers head on an average day.
I myself do not have manic depression, but have suffered from bouts of depression, ranging from minor episodes to severe episodes.
I have met many that have also either felt "depressed" or know of someone close to them that are depressed.
Depression is considered "shameful" and it gets litte recognition. It's a silent killer of many. I want to bring attention to it and let everyone know that they are NOT alone.
It affects everyone
<small><center><font color="#790000"><b>It affects everyone</b></small></font>
<table width="50%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"><tr><td width="20.00%" bgcolor="#B4B4B4"> </td><td width="20.00%" bgcolor="#9A9A9A"> </td><td width="20.00%" bgcolor="#818181"> </td><td width="20.00%" bgcolor="#9A9A9A"> </td><td width="20.00%" bgcolor="#B4B4B4"> </td></tr><tr><td colspan="5" align="center"><font size="1" face="Tahoma"><b>It doesn't discriminate</b></font></td></tr><tr><td colspan="5" align="center"><font size="1" face="Verdana"><b><small><a href="http://www.livejournal.com/users/soul4poetry/198326.html ">Show that it has affected you too</a></small></b></font></td></tr></table></center>
Depression does not discriminate. It affects everyone no matter what their race, religion, their color or thier age. Depression comes in many forms. It may be simply a feeling of being "down" or it may be so serious that it affects your every day life to the point where you cannot control it.
I didn't know how bad depression was until I was about 13. One day I came home from school and my mother wasn't there. I had phoned her work and she didn't show up. No one knew where my mom was until later that evening. My great aunt showed up and told me that she had gone to my aunts in another province (I live in Canada). The thing was that she wasn't only there but was doing things "out of the ordinary" for her. Another thing that bothered me was that both my great aunt and my uncle didn't seem to surprised. I didn't get a full explanation at the time. All I knew was that my mom was unstable.
The second time it happened, my mom took me in the middle of the night to go for the "summer vacation" we never had. It was my first week at my new school and my mother decided that this was the time for my "summer vacation". I knew something was up from the get go. We ended up going to the aunts that my mom had gone to before. My mom started smoking (pot) and drinking..very out of character for her. I confronted her and she realized what she was doing so we went back home, where she promptly checked herself into the mental ward of the general hospital. I was 13 years old and she left me to go find my aunt in the middle of the night.
My mother stayed in the hospital for 2 months. I lived temporarily with my aunt and uncle. Through begging and pleading I asked them to make me understand what was wrong with my mother. I got several "half truths".
My mother had a couple of breakdowns after that which were not bad, but enough to have me very worried. About a year after she had checked into the mental ward of the hospital my grandfather died. This prompted the beginning of the end for me.
I came home from school a week after my grandfathers death to find my mother "asleep" in her bed. Very out of character for her. I heard her get up to go to the washroom and thought she'd be up. She was sitting on the side of her bed and I tried to talk to her..and got nothing. She then laid down and she wasn't responding to anything. I phoned my uncle who came over and also could not wake her up. The ambulance was called and one ambulance worker tried to revive her while the other talked to me. I was told to give him all the medication my mother was on. It took me THREE trips to the bathroom. I will never forget the look on his face. EVER.
My mom was again admitted into the mental ward. This time for only one month. I finally found out about Manic Depression.
To this day my mom is ok. She will never be "well". She doesn't respond to medications anymore. Her brain..in a laymans way of explaining runs about 100 times faster than an average person. You know when you feel you have so many things to think about..it drives you nuts? Amplify that by 100 and you have my mothers head on an average day.
I myself do not have manic depression, but have suffered from bouts of depression, ranging from minor episodes to severe episodes.
I have met many that have also either felt "depressed" or know of someone close to them that are depressed.
Depression is considered "shameful" and it gets litte recognition. It's a silent killer of many. I want to bring attention to it and let everyone know that they are NOT alone.
| It doesn't discriminate | ||||
| Show that it has affected you too | ||||
<small><center><font color="#790000"><b>It affects everyone</b></small></font>
<table width="50%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"><tr><td width="20.00%" bgcolor="#B4B4B4"> </td><td width="20.00%" bgcolor="#9A9A9A"> </td><td width="20.00%" bgcolor="#818181"> </td><td width="20.00%" bgcolor="#9A9A9A"> </td><td width="20.00%" bgcolor="#B4B4B4"> </td></tr><tr><t
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