Long Overdue
Test
My name is Amber Geddes and I have a disease. I was diagnosed over a year ago with being depressed.
Depression is a serious mental illness that is very much misunderstood. Luckily, I have done the homework for you because I strongly feel that many people who will stumble upon this site are very much uneducated about this subject.
Although it is the year 2003, it is still surprising to hear some of the many myths about mental illness and depression. Thanks to the Canadian Mental Heal Association, I was able to copy and paste some myths:
• People with mental illness are violent and dangerous - The truth is that, as a group, mentally ill people are no more violent than any other group. In fact, they are far more likely to be the victims of violence than to be violent themselves.
• Mental illness is cause by a personal weakness - A mental illness is not a character flaw. It is an illness, and it has nothing to do with being weak or lacking will-power. Although people with mental illness can play a big part in their own recovery, they did not choose to become ill, and they are not lazy because they cannot just “snap out of it.”
• Mental illness is a single, rare disorder - Mental illness is not a single disease but a broad classification for many disorders. Anxiety, depression, schizophrenia, personality disorders, eating disorders, and organic brain disorders can cause misery, tears and missed opportunities for thousands of Canadians.
I have depression so that is going to be the focus of this post. There is much information available on the Internet about the different mental illnesses and if interested, I suggest www.cmha.ca.
Depression is basically a chemical imbalance in the brain. The two neurotransmitters associated with depression are serotonin and norepinephrine. When one or both of these become irregular, depression is onset. Although the medical explanation seems to be simple, it is very hard finding the right medication to help regulate and restore chemical balance. There are hundreds of different medications which work differently with every person and can explain why it is easier said than done to find help for this problem. Many of the medications have horrible side effects and can cause a person to become very ill at first. Most of the side effects do wear off when the medication finally starts to work for the patient about four to six weeks into treatment, if not, another medication, or a higher or lower dosage has to be tried out.
What causes depression?
There are many factors to consider when trying to find the source of depression. Immediate depression is often caused by a painful event and ineffective coping skills. Immediate depression is usually easier to treat than something more long term. I have been depressed for four years and there are many things to consider for my particular situation. My situation in a nut shell, as discussed with doctors and councillors is due to genetic predisposition (yep this shit is hereditary), abuse, problems within my family, and my poor coping skills. That’s at least what we’ve been able to narrow it down to.
There are ways of telling whether or not somebody has a mental health problem. The symptoms can all be found at CMHA.
My motto is still “I live to give” but I have also found great comfort in “you don’t have to like it, you just have to do it.” I use that one more frequently and it has helped me get the help I need and has allowed me to function. I still have much to work on. This is going to be a hell of a long healing process.
So that’s it. I’m not lazy, not crazy, not violent, nor stupid. I am fully aware that there are people in the world with bigger problems than me and I understand that I have a lot to be thankful for. I did not choose to be depressed. Like the diabetic, I have no control over my disease and I will be on medication for most of my life. Don’t pussy foot around me, I am a normal person for Christ’s sake.
Mental Illness affects 1 in 5 Canadians at some point during their lives. Think twice before you go off and say something stupid, you’re probably next.
feel free to email your questions and comments to ambergeddes@hotmail.com
Test
My name is Amber Geddes and I have a disease. I was diagnosed over a year ago with being depressed.
Depression is a serious mental illness that is very much misunderstood. Luckily, I have done the homework for you because I strongly feel that many people who will stumble upon this site are very much uneducated about this subject.
Although it is the year 2003, it is still surprising to hear some of the many myths about mental illness and depression. Thanks to the Canadian Mental Heal Association, I was able to copy and paste some myths:
• People with mental illness are violent and dangerous - The truth is that, as a group, mentally ill people are no more violent than any other group. In fact, they are far more likely to be the victims of violence than to be violent themselves.
• Mental illness is cause by a personal weakness - A mental illness is not a character flaw. It is an illness, and it has nothing to do with being weak or lacking will-power. Although people with mental illness can play a big part in their own recovery, they did not choose to become ill, and they are not lazy because they cannot just “snap out of it.”
• Mental illness is a single, rare disorder - Mental illness is not a single disease but a broad classification for many disorders. Anxiety, depression, schizophrenia, personality disorders, eating disorders, and organic brain disorders can cause misery, tears and missed opportunities for thousands of Canadians.
I have depression so that is going to be the focus of this post. There is much information available on the Internet about the different mental illnesses and if interested, I suggest www.cmha.ca.
Depression is basically a chemical imbalance in the brain. The two neurotransmitters associated with depression are serotonin and norepinephrine. When one or both of these become irregular, depression is onset. Although the medical explanation seems to be simple, it is very hard finding the right medication to help regulate and restore chemical balance. There are hundreds of different medications which work differently with every person and can explain why it is easier said than done to find help for this problem. Many of the medications have horrible side effects and can cause a person to become very ill at first. Most of the side effects do wear off when the medication finally starts to work for the patient about four to six weeks into treatment, if not, another medication, or a higher or lower dosage has to be tried out.
What causes depression?
There are many factors to consider when trying to find the source of depression. Immediate depression is often caused by a painful event and ineffective coping skills. Immediate depression is usually easier to treat than something more long term. I have been depressed for four years and there are many things to consider for my particular situation. My situation in a nut shell, as discussed with doctors and councillors is due to genetic predisposition (yep this shit is hereditary), abuse, problems within my family, and my poor coping skills. That’s at least what we’ve been able to narrow it down to.
There are ways of telling whether or not somebody has a mental health problem. The symptoms can all be found at CMHA.
My motto is still “I live to give” but I have also found great comfort in “you don’t have to like it, you just have to do it.” I use that one more frequently and it has helped me get the help I need and has allowed me to function. I still have much to work on. This is going to be a hell of a long healing process.
So that’s it. I’m not lazy, not crazy, not violent, nor stupid. I am fully aware that there are people in the world with bigger problems than me and I understand that I have a lot to be thankful for. I did not choose to be depressed. Like the diabetic, I have no control over my disease and I will be on medication for most of my life. Don’t pussy foot around me, I am a normal person for Christ’s sake.
Mental Illness affects 1 in 5 Canadians at some point during their lives. Think twice before you go off and say something stupid, you’re probably next.
feel free to email your questions and comments to ambergeddes@hotmail.com
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