Long depression
Everyone feels sad, fed up or miserable sometimes. But for some people, depression goes on for longer, and becomes so severe that they find it hard to carry on with their normal lives.
When depression gets serious, it’s called “clinical” depression. People experience symptoms like having no pleasure in life, withdrawing from other people, anxiety, problems concentrating, and deep feelings of being worthless or hopeless. There can also be physical symptoms like changes in sleeping patterns, and changes in eating patterns. People feel bleak and helpless and sometimes they want to harm themselves.
Depression is common. 15 out of every 100 people will experience depression at some point in their lives. But you can get help. Depression is treatable. There are lots of things people can do to help themselves, as well as linking up with others in depression support groups, or getting professional help or medication. People use a whole range of techniques to manage their depression and get on with their lives.
Comments (One comment)
I was born with a disability that separated me from the “normal” crowd. I can’t drive because of it, and women laugh at the idea of going out with me on the bus. Depression is very strong in my life and yet people think I’m just a whiner, making it worse as they don’t care…. They just want me to go away.
Everything that happens in my life seems to be decided upon by someone else. I had a Vasectomy when I was only 14 as my parents wanted me put in a care home and that was one of the requirements for people with disabilities. Once I was in the Care Home, I got sexually abused by a Gay Male Caregiver and called the police, but since it was in my room… “No Witness, No Case”. The Administrator told Police that if I report it again, call the office and they’ll take care of it. But the abuse went on with me and other young men, but nothing was ever done about it. I’m out looking for help, but there’s only services for abused women and children, and they can’t help as they say men are the abusers. My abuser was a male, right?
There’s a place called the BC Male Survivors of Sexual Abuse, but to qualify, you must take your abuser to court and win your case. Then they’ll help you, but not for free! It’s $80 a session!!! There’s also a place called the Men’s Trauma Center which mainly addresses elderly men whose wife recently died, but they’ll take anyone, also for $80 a session. If you want help, you have to buy it!!!
My only way to deal with it is isolation. If I go out, I get rejected, stared at, and people who see me coming stop talking, with that look of “what are you doing here” on their faces until I’ve left. I’ll go get my groceries 1/2 an hour before the store closes, while most people have gone home.
The government has me classed Unemployable for Public Safety. I can do Volunteer work, but I can’t legally get a job. Just like I can’t drive as the Safety of Thousands of others is more important than the satisfaction of one man. It’s like my life doesn’t matter.
Then I start thinking about suicide. Not out of pain, but logic… everybody wants me out of the way, right? Would my death make them upset, or glad that’s finally over and done with?
There’s courses that teachj you to think positive about yourself, but then you open the doors and step out into reality. Just because YOU think you’re a nice guy, doesn’t mean the rest of the world agrees. Depression is an on-going thing for me.
Just because I want things to change, doesn’t mean Society will change. Like people who refuse to talk to me… That’s their right.
They choose who their friends are.
And I know what they think of me!
Matthew / May 13th, 2008, 12:26 pm / #
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