Beyond Blue

I thought i'd start this topic discussion with a very useful link to a well known organization in Australia that is bringing depression into mainstream awareness. Feel free to peruse and add your thoughts.

beyondblue

Thanks Sara,

What a Great site you posted here, thanks for the link.

Wonderful Sarah! I have depression/anxiety and am on meds for it. People would never know if I didn't tell them. Many people, myself included at one time, do not realize that worrying all the time isn't normal, that doing less and less or having a loss of interest in things you normally love are symptoms. It wasn't until a dear friend had said to me why suffer when you don't have to, that I got a prescription. Not all people need prescriptions and counselling may help. In any case, thanks for sharing this.

Depression is the fastest growing affliction of Western society. It's not hard to see why when you take a look at the current economic climate and social problems. Of course not all depression is caused by external events. I am one of the 'lucky' ones who has a chemical imbalance in my brain that requires medication - a biological cause for the misery.

I often hear people describe their battle with depression as 'coping' with it. This term to me, implies accepting it and being able to put it in a box for awhile so you can experience life without it. That isn't my experience. A more accurate description is 'living with depression'. It never goes away. Medication can mask the symptoms but not remove the cause. Even when I am happy, there is a dark undertone to the feelings. When I laugh, there is a seriousness that lays beneath it. It's kind of like wearing a mask to change what the world sees but behind it, your features are still the same - just disguised.

Inside the perpetual darkness I have found many gifts. Sometimes, I am able to gain a depth of perception not available to those without this affliction. I am a thinker - deeply analytical and with a finely tuned ability to see the smaller parts that make up the whole. I feel beyond the normal range of emotions. I write from a sense of survival and appreciation of life. The downs make the ups so much more precious. But there is no off switch. At night, in my sleep, I am still prone to depression. Strange dreams and nightmares, hallucinations from the medication, daylight hours robbed by drowsiness or boredom, inspiration not supported by motivation. All the positivity in the world cannot get me moving. At times breathing is all I can manage.

I post this not to gain sympathy or even to say this is a typical case of depression, but hopefully to share with others that there is no label that fits all. Symptoms vary. Feelings and thoughts change. Don't judge yourself by what another tells you is the norm. Successful living with depression comes from knowing yourself and working with the resources at your disposal. It's your journey - map the path to include all the things that are important or meaningful to you.