Let's talk

I wrote this blog a few months ago, and in the light of the recent death of Robin Williams I thought I would repost it.  Depression hits all kinds, money doesn't fix it, people don't fix it, time doesn't fix it....can it be fixed?  I have found that learning coping strategies, knowing one's signals, and reaching out for the help you need before the darkness gets to dark is what can help, but none of it fixes it... Depression kills!  Calling one selfish for committing suicide is just ridiculous.....and would only come from someone who has really never been there.  No one exists but the pain when that point is reached..no one.  The world lost a very famous, very loved and admired person yesterday, but lets use this opportunity to open up the communications about this disorder.  Why don't we talk about mental illness like we talk about cancer?  Both can be treated, both can have successful outcomes, and both can be deadly.  Lets talk about it like it exists, like it's okay, instead of whispering about it, being shameful for it, and treating it like it's taboo.  Lets keep talking, lets share, lets remember every single day that someone you know or may come in contact with just might be going though the same thing as Mr. Williams did....and maybe something you can say, do, or even an understanding look just might pull them back in, even if it's only for a moment.  There are times that people with depression don't feel it will get any better, but ending one's life will certainly make that real...in time everything does get better, with time and a great deal of support and work.  Just keep moving, breathing, living and eventually it wont be such a chore, it will be what you live for.


I have suffered through depression, anxiety and at times agoraphobia.  This is all a result of being sexually abused as a child and although I can mostly control it now, it has taken it toll on me over the years, at one point I even tried to take my life. 


Mental health comes in so many forms, my son has ADHD which is also a mental health problem.  There isn't enough support out there for him, and so many like him.  Having a mental health issue can limit a life to the point of being unbearable, sometime to the point where there seems to be nothing worth fighting for any longer....it's hard, just getting out of bed is hard.  Not everyone is able to control it, not everyone has the opportunity to get the help they need as it costs a great deal of money and not everyone has that ability.  Raising funds helps, but raising awareness helps even more.


When you have a mental health issue people treat you differently.  They keep their distance, and in a lot of cases they keep their distance exactly when you need them the most.  I have had times in my life where I was hospitalized, and only a small group of people came to see me.  It scares people, yet having a mental health issue is nothing different than having any other medical issue.  You can't change the fact that it's in you, you can control it to some degree but even then you have to really work hard at it.  It's not something to be ashamed of, but yet so many make you feel ashamed....like it has something to do with strength.  Strength has nothing to do with mental health, it doesn't mean you are strong, weak or unable to cope, what it means is you have a health problem that you deal with daily and could use as much support as any cancer patient would need. 


Isolation is a common problem with mental health, you can isolate yourself to the point where you have no one, and also you can be isolated because no one wants to deal with it.  I think this is a prime reason why so many people keep their problems hidden, so people will not run away.  I know that I have felt isolated many times in my life, and maybe it was something I did to myself but nonetheless it's a real problem....


Mental health touches so many people, so many lives.  It's overwhelming how many people hide this and live with it daily, trying to cope trying to make it through the day.  It's something we need to support, something we need to understand and defenetly something we need to put funding into. 


I applaud this company for bring attention to this all so common issue, and hope that every year more and more understanding comes to those who don't understand it.