G+_George Kozi Posted August 12, 2014 Share Posted August 12, 2014 This is important. Stress can lead to it, and I know that stress is part of your day to day life. That's why I'm posting this here. Go watch a funny movie At the height, or perhaps I should say, at the very depth of it, when there was no obvious way out, I decided to tell someone. "I think I may suffer from depression" , I said to a friend I felt I could trust. The moment I said it, the burden I was carrying for the last year and a half, felt a little bit less heavy. He is a very intelligent man. I knew him online where we have communicated and exchanged ideas for many years. He was, I thought, the right person to open up to, because he was far enough removed from my day to day existence, and for some reason, that made it easier. After reading my difficult confession message, he told me to "go watch a funny movie"... This is the tragically perfect illustration of the lack of understanding that surrounds this affliction. Depression is categorized as a mental illness, and for many that means "crazy". They look at someone who is depressed and they see a person who appears to have given up on life for no good reason. Because of that, they dismiss the whole thing as something trivial. Frack that! Depression does not mean crazy, depression is not a prolonged bad mood you can just snap out of, depression is not only in the mind. It is an actual chemical imbalance that happens in the brain, it is a very physical thing. This may come as a shock to you, but chemical imbalances in the body are very common. Everybody has one at one time or another in their life. Even you. This one that causes depression is no worse or different than many other chemical imbalances that happen in the body. There is one that causes diabetes, one that causes hyperthyroidism etc. The World Health Organisation estimates that there are 350 million people around the world that suffer from it, and that means that you probably come in contact every day with someone that has it. Even if they hide it, like Robin Williams had. This depression thing is not easy to fight. Getting out of the black hole is a very long and difficult process, a long and dangerous climb that not everybody can do. The good news is that it can be done. The bad news is that once you had it, the danger of it returning is always there. It is a dangerous and insidious foe that never leaves you. If you manage to bludgeon it into a small corner, you will have to constantly keep an eye on it, and at the first sign of it moving, you will have to once again beat it into submission. I was lucky. In my scouring of the Internet for information to try to understand what the hell was happening to me, I stumbled upon this depression thing and even in my darkest hour, I was somehow able to recognize it for what it was. So next time someone says to you "I'm depressed", don't tell them to go watch a funny movie, but make time to listen to them, and if possible, gently steer them towards a healthcare professional. Tell them that this is nothing to be ashamed of, that this is not their fault, that this is just a damned chemical imbalance in the brain. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_people_with_major_depressive_disorder Originally shared by USA TODAY "You'd like to think they're immune from heartache and suffering of mental illness, and that isn't true." http://usat.ly/1mEq8Jv Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G+_Neesee M Posted August 12, 2014 Share Posted August 12, 2014 RIP Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G+_Dom Posted August 12, 2014 Share Posted August 12, 2014 Very funny man it's a scheme as I didn't know he suffered depression,and drug addiction. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G+_P Costello Posted August 12, 2014 Share Posted August 12, 2014 Seems like his movie "What Dreams May Come" might have been really easy for him to play. Not much of a stretch perhaps for a man battling depression. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G+_Dave Trautman Posted August 12, 2014 Share Posted August 12, 2014 George Kozi. your story hits home. I know many and they know me. Like you I have been vigilant and it's kept away. Even in tough times. But you're right that most people think depression is a temporary condition like having "the blues". Lots of marriages have ended from depression with one partner. Lots of jobs have been lost due to depression. Sadly, lots of lives are ended because of it. A book fell off the shelf in a library once, when I was suffering, and it turned out to help me. Along with other things it helped me see the world differently. It's not available today but it was called "Everyone Steals from God" and dealt with the roots of creativity. Another short book by Alan W. Watts called "The Wisdom of Insecurity" gave me a framework from with to work on my problem. But you're right to suggest people be guided toward professional help. You can't help yourself when your body is out of whack. Good post during these sad days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G+_George Kozi Posted August 12, 2014 Author Share Posted August 12, 2014 Dave Trautman I keep listening to his talks on Youtube. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G+_Edward Lee Posted August 13, 2014 Share Posted August 13, 2014 As one who has had a few bouts of depression this article hit the nail on the hear.I hope and pray that folks will get to understand that Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G+_Dom Posted August 13, 2014 Share Posted August 13, 2014 I remembered that film he was in of this man who works developing films from a camera who lives on his own and is lonely. It was a bizarre movie. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G+_Dave Trautman Posted August 13, 2014 Share Posted August 13, 2014 ken leo — "One Hour Photo" (2002) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G+_Dom Posted August 13, 2014 Share Posted August 13, 2014 Thank you Dave for the name of that movie,where can I get one of them books you mention as they sound very good and it's something I need to read in my life at the moment, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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