My Longkang

Talking about the man who committed suicide by jumping from the Penang Bridge got me thinking perhaps it would be a good idea to write about the topic. In Depression Part 1, I will talk about depression

If you are suffering from depression, hopefully it will enlighten you. If you are not, it will at least help you identify close ones around you who might be suffering depression and not know it.

Depression

The truth is so many just don’t seek treatment, even though they suffer needlessly, or commit suicide. The very symptoms of depression, the very despair and hopelessness, and the pain caused by so many other self-perpetuating thoughts and feelings literally immobilize them.

How family members, society as a whole, and how we ourselves perceive and react to depression can literally paralyze any efforts a person might make toward getting help.

Emotional Obstacles

Let’s admit it that emotions can be hard to talk about for everyone. Some people can find it “uncomfortable” to be around a person who is upset. It embarrasses them because they don’t know what to say, or do, or how to help. Lots of people are just not emotionally confident and even their own feelings make them uncomfortable.

So how are they going to react to or help a son or daughter, sibling, or parent with depression… ?

Unless you are going through a divorce, death or other trauma, people cannot understand depression. Emotional pain in our society is seen as a personal weakness, not a symptom of a physical disorder, chemical imbalance or nutrient deficiency.

People still think you can just snap out of it. People innocently try to cheer us up, make light of it or talk us out of it

We all feel depressed sometimes. So grin and bear it. Get a life, get a grip and get over it. Life is hard for all of us. What makes you so special !?

Pent up emotions can be extremely difficult to talk. Even in a close family, having to tell someone how you feel is a risk and leaves you open, vulnerable to rejection and humiliation. Will you be taken seriously ? Ask for help.

Unrecognized Depression

There are lots of sufferers who just don’t know they have depression, and innocently blame their misery and suffering on family, other people, and life circumstances. “If the things and people in my life would change, I would be alright…”

The symptoms are general unhappiness, low self-esteem, oversensitivity and difficulty getting along with others. “If the things and people in my life would
change, I would be alright…I wouldn’t feel so depressed”
If only they knew that it’s HAVING Depression that CREATES lives where no one gets along and nothing works out.

………………………………………………………………………………