Beyond the Blues
Understanding depression is difficult; hear from Psyche's community of peers on their experiences with this mood disorder.
Music
So I’ve battled with depression for most of my teenage life, and I always tried to ignore it. I thought if I just gave the impression of being happy I would eventually be happy. I lived my life suffering, thinking to myself, “Nah man, this isn’t you. You’re just tired!” Trying to ignore the feeling have me some false sense of hope that I was fine, and that I would be okay .But sometime last January it finally caught up to me and it hit like a catagory 8 (if that even exists) hurricane. I had so many negative thoughts towards myself and just feeling so low. As if I was at the lowest point in the ocean, just drowning in my own sorrow, and couldn't call for help. I figured if I tried to numb my pain through weed and alcohol and hanging around a bunch of people I didn’t know, then I would feel better. And for a while I did... or so I thought. All of my memories from that year were all ones that were either bad, or ones that I was too high to remember.
By Kendall Jones8 years ago in Psyche
Depression
Living with depression is one of the hardest and most difficult things to live with in life. Depression is very unpredictable. You never know what your mood is going to be like in the next hour, minute, or second. Some people say that people who suffer from this are just attention seekers, well let me tell you that they are very wrong. Just because we need more reassurance than others and we might push you away, that does not mean we are attention seeking. Some people with this mental health problem cope in different ways, but no one should judge us for the way we cope because we are doing the best we can to get through this. We don’t need your input on the way we do things. I know some people hate talking about things like this, but this is a very important subject to talk about because it is a very common health issue with teenagers. Don’t get me wrong, you can suffer from this at any age, but it is most common for the teen years. This is something the whole world needs to be aware of because it’s a very useful skill to have if you have mental health training. One of the most annoying things that we are told is that “everything will be fine.” Don’t say things like that because that is not helping in any way. Another thing is “I know how you feel.” No you don’t! Everyone is different, no one is the same, and that is why it’s such a difficult thing to cope with. It is very important that if you suffer from depression that you have a trustworthy and reliable person to talk to, because no one should suffer in silence!! People say living with depression you should always try and find something to do or distract yourself. This is very hard to do because with the mental health issue, you lose a lot of interest in the things you like doing. For example, I used to listen to music as a way of coping, but now I don’t like listening to it at all because none of the different type of genres interest me. I’ll get annoyed at myself for it because I know I used to love it and now I would have to find another way to cope.
By Chloe Aylott8 years ago in Psyche
5 Things Not to Say to Someone With Depression
When you find out that someone you care about has depression it is natural to want to help. It is important to choose your words carefully when offering advice to those with depression; you may end up causing more harm than good. Here are five things that you shouldn't say to a depressed person and what you can say instead.
By Jessica Purvis8 years ago in Psyche
My Hometown + Depression
When I Was 10 I moved to Harker Heights, Texas, leaving my birthplace and hometown of Austin. Let me be clear when I say that, like a move is for most 10-year-olds, it was devastating. This hour drive meant leaving the best place on Earth, my very own Eden and moving to a desolate wasteland of suburbia in a deep dark corner of hell. By this time I wasn’t even a stranger to the whole packing up and starting over routine. I’d already done it four or five times. I’d been all over Texas, across state lines and overseas. But all roads always lead back to Austin. This move, however, even at that age, felt different. The permanence was obvious. From the custom build to the close proximity to a Veteran’s Affairs Hospital that my grandfather desperately needed, everything about this house and move was meticulously planned. This was my grandparents’ retirement home.
By Devon Rooks8 years ago in Psyche
Battling Depression
When I was fifteen years old my mother was diagnosed with Hepatitis C and a cirrhosis of the liver. She was in need of a transplant and placed on the list. This was the beginning of what has become a long battle of depression for me. She was in and out of the hospital and my little brother and I were left at the mercy of our step-father. My mother was permanently hospitalized until she received her transplant when I was sixteen, it was then my stepfather began molesting my brother and I. It was maybe the most difficult time of my life. Not because he was abusing me, my brother was four and I was unable to protect him. I felt as the eldest sibling I should have been able to save him from the monster in our home. He would scream at me when I would try to stop him, no matter how hard I fought. Locking my brother and me in my room so we could have some peace, but we inevitably would have to emerge.
By Lela Harris8 years ago in Psyche
Prisoner in My Own Mind
A sensitive subject. A subject that used to be tip-toed around and ignored. Luckily, that's not really the case anymore. It's not the first topic of conversation for everyone, but it's definitely acknowledged more. I guess, because it is a sensitive subject, most people feel awkward and embarrassed to accept and speak about mental health; either personally or in general. I was one of those people. I thought it was something to be ashamed of; that it wasn't normal. I convinced myself it was problem that would go away if I didn't feed it any attention. It did the opposite.
By Sasha-Leigh Hazlewood8 years ago in Psyche
When Your Depression Isn’t Worthy
So I am in my mid 30s. I am married. I have three children aged between 4-14. I have a job. Actually, I have two jobs. I have experienced tragedy, recently. But long before all the recent heartache, tragedy, and trauma, I suffered with depression and anxiety.
By Holi Jackson8 years ago in Psyche
Parenting and Depression
I've had anxiety and depression since I was 11-years-old. I grew up seeing therapist after therapist, and tried many different medications to help, "make me feel better." When I became an adult, I decided that I really wanted to try and get better. I continued therapy, medications, surrounded myself with loved ones, and tried my best everyday to get up and be positive. Then, I found out I was pregnant. I was in a brand new relationship, I had just started feeling better, and now I had to worry about how I was going to be a parent. When I went to my first ultrasound appointment, they informed me that the medications I was taking for my depression and anxiety, were not suitable for pregnancy. I was told that I needed to stop taking it, and I needed to find something else to take that was safer. Come to find out, all the "safe" medications I had already tried without success. So there I was, pregnant, confused, and without medication. I continued therapy and did my absolute best to make sure that I prepared myself, the best that I could have, to be a parent. My pregnancy seemed to fly by, surprisingly. Before I knew it, I had my baby boy in my arms, and he was perfect. I was so happy!! But soon after, that happiness became stress, sadness, and worry. I was slipping back into my depression, and being sleep deprived did not help with that. I felt like my world was crashing down, and although I was happy my baby was healthy and thriving, I felt like I wasn't good enough. After a while, my therapist and doctor thought I could have Post Partum Depression. This is a type of depression that woman can get after pregnancy, whether you had depression prior to pregnancy or not. I went through therapy, started medications again, and I started to feel better. Now, my son is 4-years-old. He's incredibly smart, funny, and a good kid. I am a lot better now, but I still struggle. Some days are better than others, and sometimes I just really want to sleep all day and do nothing. But I remind myself that I am stronger than I think. I look at my son's pictures, his artwork hung on the wall, and think about his little laugh. Being a parent isn't easy, but being a parent with depression makes it a lot harder. You have to remind yourself on a daily basis that your child needs you. Knowing that means you also need to take very good care of YOU. You are a mom, you are your child's Superwoman, and they look up to you. If you feel you are depressed, think of the reasons that make you want to get up in the morning, to have fun with your child. I found many things that help me with my depression, and so now, I am going to share those things with you.
By Virginia Shefcyk8 years ago in Psyche
Overcoming Myself
Depression, self-harm, and thoughts of suicide are all issues that I've struggled with since I was in middle school. Being an outcast who was overweight wasn't exactly anyone's idea of fitting in. People made fun of me, called me names, put all these hurtful labels on me, and they tore me to pieces. They broke me completely.
By Katie Lynn Herr8 years ago in Psyche
The Ways I Deal With My Depression
I have reached a stage in my life that I would not even wish upon my best or worst enemy. I am 62 and I am going through changes that I never imagined in my entire life. Some can be dealt with while the majority of them cannot. Most of them are the result of my earlier decisions while the rest are the results of things way beyond my control. No matter how I look at it, I must deal with them.....alone.
By Maurice Bernier8 years ago in Psyche
