If a friend or family member is ill they get sympathy but not if they are clinically depressed Why i
health advisory
Hospital
Mental Health
2007-11-15 19:00:52
It s though they cannot accept that things have changed for me.
It would be great if work was done to raise awareness of of how mental health can affect people.
IMO, people think you can switch it off and on. they don't really understand that it is truly a sickness that needs medical attention.
Hi I too suffer with depression and have done for many years. I,m on an all time low at the moment, having counselling and on a different anti-depressant. I keep getting told I have lots of support, which I do from my close family and my partner but when it comes to work they think that because they can,t see an injury that I,m fit and well. This annoys me so much, I wouldn,t wish depression on anyone. I just keep thinking of the good days and hope they become more frequent than the bad days, but at the minute the bad days are out numbering the good. I wish I could get a grip of myself and give me a shake and a slap so I would wake up and be back to my "normal" me. I do think there should be more publicity on depression and the affects it has on peoples lives and yes employers should be made more aware of how this clinical disease affects there work force. From one depressed friend to another take care and chin up Alison
I have often wondered if awareness would bring about a clearer understanding to those who have never been clinically depressed. My conclusion is that... I doubt it would make any difference. They simply do not understand. They are accustomed to the world where if something is wrong there is a simple solution. That just isn't true when you're depressed. I've been told "Just get up, shower, and make yourself get out." "You're responsible for your own emotions, you need to snap out of it." "You've seen a doctor, you must not be taking your medicine." "Just stop it. Stop whining. You have nothing to whine about." I wish for one day they could live in the world I live in. They don't have a clue. And I don't whine. I suffer silently and alone most of the time. I only tell them how I am when they ask, and most of the time I regret telling them then. People who say "hey... I've missed you. How have you been?" don't usually mean it in my experience. What they mean is "Hello, I haven't had time to call and let you know that I care if you're alive so I'm feeling a little guilty and if you would just politely tell me that you're fine then it will settle my conscience and I can go on with my business. If you have something good to say, by all means I want to share in your prosperity and at least pretend to be attentive to what you have to say. But if all you want to do is b**ch and moan about the same old crap then just shutup b/c I don't have the time nor the patience." They don't understand that it's like this f5ck1ng black cloud that you can't breathe in and you can't run from and you can't escape. It invades your sleep, it impedes your sleep, it darkens day, it makes your heart sink and your mind ache. It impales your very being with a searing wrench that never seems to end. You wish more than anyone else possibly could that you would awaken one morning to find the blackness gone and that it would NEVER encroach upon your soul again. It steals your dreams. It destroys your life. You cannot function. It doesn't matter how hard you try. It is a monster that lives within you. How could they understand it when they have never seen it? People have so little faith in what they cannot see. It is easier to blame the person than it is to believe in something that is so cruel, so dark, so deep and so seemingly unconquerable. If you could return to the world where you could fix problems with your efforts or with a pill you too would not understand why someone would suffer without fixing it. Why would someone suffer so greatly and not fix it? They think there is a solution to everything. They do not understand that this cannot be fixed. You cannot make it go away. You cannot will it away. You have 3 choices. You can hope that you find a doctor who is sympathetic and intelligent enough to understand the chemistry of it and prescribe medications that make it manageable (it still doesn't go away completely). You can kill yourself (which they consider to be a coward's way out, but is it? they obviously don't have time to deal with you). You can hope it has mercy on you and goes away. Or... you can ride out the storm. I'd like to see them live with a life sentence like that. Talk about baggage... How could they understand that? How? They'd have to believe in something they cannot see and accept that there is no discernable solution. We have a hard time accepting that reality and we live with the beast. How could they possibly accept it? We live in a different world. The only way I have ever found to try to show someone what it is like in our world is the movie "What dreams may come" with Robin Williams in it. It seems "out there" but it is very symbolic. Watch it. Share it. I don't know if it will help but at least it may be something with which you can relate. Best of luck to you. May you find peace.
Because of STIGMA.