According to the National Alliance on Mental Health, approximately 1 out of 5 adults experience depression in any given year in the U.S.
So chances are, you know somebody who has depression and you don't even know it. Think you don't know anyone? Think again -- many suffer in silence while their loved ones remain oblivious. They may be your cousin, your aunt, even your best friend; and you don't even have a clue.
When I heard about the suicide of Chester Bennington, it struck a chord in me. Unlike many of my friends/followers on social media, I was never a fan of Linkin Park and I don't have any stories of how "the band helped me through some hard times growing up" or how much of an impact their music made on me. The only recollection I have of listening to their songs was when I used to use my desktop computer next to my brother in the living room and he used to blast them for hours on end. Nonetheless, I still care. You don't need to be a fan in order to care
Why? Because aside from being a lead vocalist of a band, he was a human being -- a husband, a father, a friend. The fact that he was in a popular band is irrelevant to me. Because before he was the lead vocalist of Linkin Park, he was a human being; a human being with feelings and struggles, and unfortunately another human being whose life was so painful that they felt ending their life was the only solution.
Whenever I hear about a suicide (which is way too often), it makes me extremely upset; trending topic or not. You hear about the deaths of famous people such as Chester Bennington and Chris Cornell because they're well known, but depression and mental health issues in general extends far beyond the headlines. The tragedies plastered on the cover of magazines are only a tiny sample of what occurs in everyday life. This stuff is real. We can't continue ignoring it until something like this happens.
If it takes the suicide of a celebrity for us to begin talking about mental health, we have a major issue. We need to be spreading awareness because depression is a very common issue and the results could be devastating if not handled properly. 1 in 5 adults have it, but not all of these adults will seek help. One of those may be somebody very close to you.
Check up on your friends and family. Ask them how they're doing; and often. If they show any of these symptoms, encourage them to speak with a doctor. Depression can't keep going unnoticed. It's closer to home than you realize. It doesn't only happen to famous people. It could be happening to your friends and your family.
We can't wait until a tragedy like this occurs to start talking -- we need to be talking about it now. That's how we prevent it from happening closer to home.
