Vanilla here on yet another article. Like my article, Eating Disorders,
this is a somewhat (notice how I said somewhat) serious article. So, if
this article applies to you in any way, stick around and read!! If you don't
think this article affects you in any way, you still may want to stick
around. There may be a time when this does apply to you, or to someone very
close to you.
First of all, what IS depression? The best way that I can explain it is
this: Depression is an emotional state where a person doesn??t feel happy any
more. They feel they don??t have anything to live for, and they are sad all or most of
the time. The technical definition is "the condition of feeling sad or
despondent."
Now that we have a gist of what depression or being depressed is, we can
focus on why people get depressed. To be quite truthful, it can be from
most anything: a tough family life, the death of someone close, being an
outcast at school, high levels of stress, or even a mental disorder.
Depression is worse than just being sad, it's living a life completely
isolated from everything. Symptoms of depression may be lack of appetite,
insomnia, inability to concentrate, feelings of extreme sadness and
hopelessness, and no care for living life and suicidal thoughts.
I'm not here to lecture you or give you a doctor's report. I'm here to
speak to you about an experience that I live with every day. I have a
problem with depression. Bet ya never knew that. ;) You may not know it,
but lots of people around you may be suffering from depression. They may
not even show it. It could be from a reason you don't even know about it.
Like I said, I'm not going to go over the medical facts about
depression. However, I am going to share some personal experiences and what
to do if you know someone who is depressed, or if you are depressed
yourself.
The first thing to do if you suspect someone is depressed is to
Recognize the Signs. A person you know may give off signs that that are
feeling lonely. They may speak of
suicidal thoughts, tell you how they don't like their life, and stay away
from people and social events. For me, my signs were quite clear; I became
anorexic. When that happened, people started knowing something was wrong.
Secondly, Confront the Suspect. This may not always work, but it wouldn't
hurt to confront your friend about your suspicion. Approach in a calm and
kind way, and ask soothingly if they are having some problems that they
might want to discuss with you. I know that when you are depressed, it
helps to have someone to talk to.
Lastly, Tell Somebody. If you think that someone is severely depressed and
that they need some help, you need to tell somebody. I'm not joking. They
might be mad at you at first, but it will definitely be beneficial in the
long run. If you tell a teacher, counselor, or parent about your friend's
problem, they may be able to get them help and get them out of depression.
Back to personal experiences. When I became anorexic, it was a desperate
cry for help I was seeking. When you stop eating, people notice. Some of
my friends went and told the school counselor, and she spoke with me about
it. I told her that there was nothing wrong, and that my friends must have
been mistaken. Finally, my parents noticed that I wasn't eating and they
got me help. Since then, I've been seeing a therapist. No, I'm not psycho!
That's another thing: don't judge people for being depressed. It's not
their fault, and they aren't different from you. Also, don't be afraid of
them!! They aren't going to come to school and gun you down or anything.
What they need most is support and friendship.
Seeing a therapist helps a lot. As a result, I'm able to talk with people
about some of my problems in the past and maybe help others that are dealing
with the same thing. To any of you that are feeling depressed, TELL
SOMEBODY. They can get you help, and get your life back on track. Trust
me, I would not lie to you.
If you feel that there is no one you can talk to, try visiting
www.nostigma.org. It's
an excellent web site to determine if in fact you
are depressed, and what to do about it. They list hotlines you can call
24/7, toll-free if you really and truly need to talk to someone.
Ok, ok, you can stop yawning and stretching now! C'mon, it wasn't THAT
boring. ;) Have a nice day, and feel free to contact me with any questions,
comments, or concerns that you may have.
~*~Vanilla~*~
