Depression is its own world.
If you've been there, and come back, you are so grateful to have returned. And deeply afraid of going back. You may think you know how you got there. You may feel like you'll never know.
The sorrow or loneliness or anxiety of clinical depression can be so bad that it causes physical pain.
If you stay depressed for long enough, it can lead to permanent changes in brain function.
The worst thing you can do, when confronted with a friend or loved one's serious depression, is to try to cheer them up.
No.
The worst thing you can do is nothing.
Left untreated, depression can kill. But it is often treatable. Hope may not be an option for a seriously depressed person. You might have to supply yours until theirs returns.
Please join me in learning more about mental health today. It's Blue Day 2008.
(It was a beautiful drive
up to Elmira, NY this afternoon.
I'm sending this out – with hope – to the folks
for whom the sunshine
would not have made a difference.)
up to Elmira, NY this afternoon.
I'm sending this out – with hope – to the folks
for whom the sunshine
would not have made a difference.)
BlueDay2008
2 comments:
"Permanent changes in brain function"? I'm guessing it's not for the better. I am so screwed.
Superbly put.
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