I have a hard time with depression. I am not depressed myself, I have a hard time understanding the ailment. I have a hard time calling it a disease. I have a hard time dealing with people that cope with it. For the longest time I did not even really think it was "real." I believed that people suffering from depression were weak and just needed to snap out of it. "Toughen up cupcake!"
I know now that I am wrong.
This epiphany did not come overnight. I have several close friends and relatives that cope with this issue and over the past 10 years or so I have come to understand that it is, in fact, a real disorder. There is actually something chemically "off" when you struggle with depression. Medicine is actually needed and those people are not just being weak. Just because I don't struggle with depression does not make me "stronger" than someone who does. I am just blessed not to have that particular chemical imbalance.
Why am I writing about this? I'm not really sure. Sometimes I sit down and just start putting things out there. I guess the take away from this is that you can't really understand something like depression unless you have coped with it. Even then, I doubt you really "understand" it. Also, the human body amazes me. A system of chemicals working together to create a living, breathing, thinking, feeling, emotional being. There's no way it was all accidental.
Have a great week.
1 comment:
I have several family members that suffer from depression. I get the disease part of it. The one I struggle with understanding is addiction. And while I can see the disease part, why don't they have the will power to stop? Especially if it's causing harm to their family.
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