I’m tired of depression not being talked about openly. I’m tired of it being a taboo social subject.
It somehow infiltrates popular culture all the time, hit pop songs on the radio often deal with such a serious issue. And, yet, we can’t talk about it face to face with anyone. We’re all just content to sing along in the car and then forget it meant so much to us.
The truth is that we all, in some form, deal with depression. Some people drink, some people smoke and some people take their own life. But we all experience depression at certain points. A natural consequence of life being, well, not easy. For most people, it won’t become severe or a reoccurring issue. But for other people it does.
It just doesn’t follow that we all then turn around and pretend it to be some far off disease that’s hard to understand and deal with. That’s cowardly. That’s weak.
I want to be clear, depression is hard to understand and to deal with.
But to pretend that we all don’t know what it’s like because we’re afraid of being labeled weak or a burden is a sin that I cannot bear to have weigh on my soul.
It’s time for change. The truth is that the problem is us.
The only way to move forward with the discussion is to be open and honest about it. Because we aren’t talking about some awkward conversation that we have to have with our parents; we are literally talking about life and death. There’s no room for pride to get in the way.
Depression is an epidemic. And the end it leads to is not nearly dealt with enough. It should be permanently plastered on every news network across the country.
In America alone, 42,773 people die by suicide every year. That’s 177 suicides every day. It’s the tenth leading cause of death.
So, I’d like to give some advice. Not to persons dealing with depression, though I will provide links to self-help services. This to everyone else.
Talk about your feelings.
If something makes you sad or happy or furious, be honest about that. Keep open dialogues about how you feel with everyone you can. Not only is this a hugely important avenue to properly deal with feelings of depression for yourself, but it can help someone who may be too uneasy to speak feel more comfortable around you.
Stop talking about religion.
Many people find comfort in religion and personal spirituality does incalculable good around the world. But to many people dealing with feelings of suicide and depression, especially those who do not subscribe to your personal religion, it can feel like you’re scapegoating their feelings and their help to something not tangible. It can feel like you’re patronizing them.
Be aware that this has to change.
And you can be part of the change that saves lives. Someone has to.
If you’re in need of self-help services:
