Tuesday, August 12, 2014

Oh Captain, my captain

I am wrestling with this topic, and whether or not I should say something as part of me feels that it has been overtalked about on Facebook and that people are ready to move on with the subject.  But then part of me feels like it needs to be talked about; that we need to have more conversations about the trauma that is caused by depression.

I have been there.  I know what it feels like to feel that your world is crumbling around you and that you have no one or no where to turn.  I know what it feels like to think that you are causing so much pain and discomfort to those around you that it would be better off if you were not around.  I know what it feels like to want to commit suicide.  And it's not a nice place.

Have you seen "What Dreams May Come"?  Remember when Chris finds Annie in the after-life and she is dark, grey, and unfeeling?  That's what depression is.  You don't want anyone to touch you, there seems to be no way that anyone can comfort you, you would rather sit in one place and rot then have to move.  You don't want to take your medication as it seems useless, and you are afraid to reach out because it could mean having to go to the hospital and being locked away.

There is hope, there is the possibility of healing and moving on.  The POSSIBILITY.  It doesn't happen for everyone, some people will struggle for years to pull themselves out.  Some people are able to pull themselves up in a short period of time, only to down cycle over and over again.

We are not here to judge; we are here to show compassion and understanding and that we have an open mind.  We are hear to be willing to sit with someone, even if they cannot talk, just so that they know they are not alone.  We are here to be there for someone.

My e-mail has a signature, something I heard a long time ago, so long ago that I don't even remember when.  "To the world you may be one, but to one you may be the world."  Be that one, be that one person to one other person.  Don't be afraid to ask your friends and family if they need help, if they need someone to lean on.

Rest in Peace, Robin Williams.  May the untimeliness of your death be a call to at least one person to seek help.