I wrote yesterday’s post thinking it was a silly confession about overindulging in chips and ice cream. Today, as I entered hour three of being curled up in bed in my parents’ guest room watching reruns of The Big Bang Theory on my laptop (having again vacated our house for showings), my head was finally quiet enough for that little voice to be heard. The one that says, “It’s back. You’re back there.” The one that tries to brush away my cranky exterior enough to get through to me with its message that being bitchy and snapping at my husband and my kid is a sign of more than just being bitchy and snapping at my husband and my kid.
It’s the other side of the voice – the usually much louder one – that says, “Life sucks. This is too hard. I don’t want to live with this anymore.”
Today, while I deal with the battle of the voices, I’m sharing a guest post from from Help for Depression. In honor of Depression Awareness Month, they’re hosting a fundraiser for To Write Love on Her Arms (TWLOHA).
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It is so hard to take care of the house and the kids when you need a fork lift to get out of bed each morning. That is why it’s so important to spread awareness about depression during October, Depression Awareness Month. I would surely like my husband to have more awareness, although generally he is patient and sympathetic with me.
What motivates me to write about Depression Awareness Month is my daughter. She called me from her dorm and said, “Mom, I can’t sleep, I can’t eat, I can’t focus on my homework. What’s the point of all this anyway?” I had hoped none of my children would experience depression. I’ll have to revise my hope.
While searching for information on depression in young adults, I learned that 44% of college students have depressive symptoms. As my daughter would say, “OMG.” How is it possible that so many young people, close to half, are depressed when they’re just out of life’s starting gate? I find it outrageous that suicide is the second leading cause of death among college students. It can’t be right to ignore these statistics.
How bad does it have to get?
Think about it: if 44% of university students had the flu all at once, it likely would be labeled an epidemic. I think if people realized how big this problem is there would be more concern, or at least the start of more concern.
The other day my ten-year-old said, “Mom, you’re such a crab,” and that was to my face. My husband calls our life boring, and my mother thinks I’m lazy. There is a little truth to the laziness part, but that’s not why the laundry is piled up.
I do not want my daughter to be afraid of people finding out she is depressed.
That is why I am thrilled about Depression Awareness Month. It won’t fix the problem, but it is a start. People need to know what the symptoms are, what resources are available, and those suffering deserve to feel accepted.
As for myself, I want people to know that I do not expect to be babied, and do not feel sorry for myself. I want people who are suffering unnecessarily to find help. I want to purchase my medication without feeling a tinge of shame.
There is an easy way to help
There are people doing more to spread depression awareness than just talking, like me. Help for Depression, a depression resource, and a nonprofit called To Write Love On Her Arms, have joined forces this October to raise money for depression awareness.
If you can click with a mouse, you can make a difference. Go to the Help for Depression Facebook page and click the ‘Like’ button. For each new ‘Like’ given between October 1st and the 15th, $1 is donated towards their $15,000 goal. Please take a few seconds to click and contribute.
About the Author
Jacqueline is a creative writer, published poet, and has an MA in counseling psychology. Her education is backed by 12 years experience as a licensed clinical counselor.
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When I first “liked” the Help for Depression page, there were only a handful of other likes. Now, not even two weeks later, they’re at almost 10,000. This is clearly an issue that affects a lot of people.
Please click through and click “Like” to help them towards their $15,000 goal. Depression is a horrible thing to live with.
PS You can also find me on Just.Be.Enough. today talking about my current struggles as a parent. Please come and visit me over there and tell me I’m not the only one…
“How long have you had this growth?” my doctor asked.
