Another bone to pick, if I may: it is not surprising that the medias incessant promotion of depression as a medically treatable, medically curable disease coincides with the fact that we are one of the few countries that allows televised advertising of pharmaceuticals, as well as the fact that antidepressants are a multi-billion dollar industry. And also that the media seems to be trying to inculcate the public with the idea that suicide is not only an involuntary act but a symptom of a disease. The media is doubtless intent on telling the public what they should think about a problem they have never themselves experienced. All I will say is this: what gets people through is not artificial medication which can worsen the problems it is prescribed for; not involuntary commitments which violate basic constitutional liberties; not ECT, which is proven to cause memory problems; not forced medication, not police involvement, not happy shinies reminding you from their negligible experience that everything is perfect and balmy. Because not everything can be fixed with modern medicine. Having good friends and mentors and someone to talk to is what matters. Knowing there are well-intentioned people who will take time out of their day to listen to you talk about your problems, without calling the police or dismissing you as mentally ill, makes the biggest difference in the world. The solution, I think it is safe to say, is to stop treating the depressed as insane or dangerous and realize they are rational, sane people who have a set of problems it is often difficult for others to understand. In conclusion if someone I know is at the end of their road I will listen to them but not judge them; I will talk to them but not make decisions for them that only they can make; I will acknowledge the insanity of their problems without accusing them of being insane themselves. I cant say what is best for them because I am not them. But I will help however I can. For further reading I recommend a book called The Bell Jar, by Sylvia Plath. There is no better look inside the struggles faced by the genius yet depressed writer towards the end of her life. For all the books sadness, I found it an irreplaceable source of inspiration. In the midst of winter, I learned there was, within me, an invincible summer.
Posted on: Wed, 13 Aug 2014 00:47:03 +0000
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