Sometimes we go public so others might not suffer quite as much.
I’m sorry you have a problem with that.
Oh, for Pete’s sake.
null and void wrote: “Sometimes we go public so others might not suffer quite as much.”
I wholeheartedly agree - I was extremely depressed but had no idea what was wrong with me.
A man I believe to this day saved my life saw me driving aimlessly one day, crying all the while. Unbeknownst to me he followed me for about 15 minutes on a route that made no sense to anyone. At a long stop light he came over and knocked on my window (town was in MT - about 50,000 people and little crime or I’d never have rolled down my window) and asked me to follow him to Taco Bell for lunch. When I said no he said he could tell from watching me that something was very wrong and he urgently needed to speak to me - he went on to say that if I did not meet him he would call the police and report me as a danger to myself.
I followed him to Taco Bell and there he told me he felt from watching me that I probably was severely depressed - he said no one just drives all around sobbing so hard they can barely drive.
He told me the story of his sister and a family that didn’t believe that depression was an illness. They felt his sister could “snap out of it”, “will herself better”, was full of self-pity and was “being a drama queen”. Sad to say she killed herself and the man vowed at his sister’s grave that he would help people realize that there is a real disease called depression and that you cannot always help yourself out of it or will yourself better.
He advised me to seek medical attention and gave me his business card with the request to call in a few days to tell him how I was. I took his advice, knowing all the while that he was wrong - but my doctor agreed with him. Several years later I still struggle with low points - very low sometimes - but life is better. Had I not gone to the doctor I’m not sure I’d be here today.
The reason behind all that crying which had actually persisted almost an hour? A sad song on the radio and once I started crying I could not make myself stop. Dumb, yes, but once in the depths of depression it takes nothing to make a jag like that start - thank God someone saw me that knew what was wrong and made me seek help. My poor husband had no idea and tried everything.
So to those that think depression is hooey - God forbid you should ever suffer from it and I do mean SUFFER. I pray daily that my 2 daughters NEVER have to deal with this as it can be hereditary.