Ok this one is shaping up to be a long one, but I feel like there are some important things things to talk about here. I hope I am able to pull it all thogether and have it make sense (especially since my head is a little fuzzy and I have a dog in my lap and a kid hanging on me and several texts from Chuck, all as I try too&nbsp; write.)</p><br>
<p>Lately, I have been thinking a lot about mental health labels and public awareness&nbsp; campains and how they affect empowerment. As a modern society we have come a long way in recognizing mental illness, diagnosing, and treating it. People are more in formed, more aware, and have more access to information on all subjects than ever before, but is all that information helping or hurting us? Below are two lists of symptoms of depression I found from credible sources online.</p><br>
<p>Symptoms of depression as reported be WebMD.&lt;br&gt;<br><br>
According to the National Institute of Mental Health, symptoms of depression may include the following: &lt;br&gt;<br><br>
difficulty concentrating, remembering details, and making decisions fatigue and decreased energy feelings of guilt, worthlessness, and/or helplessness feelings of hopelessness and/or pessimism insomnia, early-morning wakefulness, or excessive sleeping irritability, &lt;br&gt;<br><br>
restlessness loss of interest in activities or hobbies once pleasurable, including sex &lt;br&gt;<br><br>
overeating or appetite loss persistent aches or pains, headaches, cramps, or digestive problems that do not ease even with treatment persistent sad, anxious, or "empty" feelings thoughts of suicide, suicide attempts&lt;/p&gt;<br><br>
&lt;p&gt;Symptoms of depression as reported by The Mayo Clinc.&lt;br&gt;<br><br>
Depression symptoms include: &lt;br&gt;<br><br>
Feelings of sadness or unhappiness &lt;br&gt;<br><br>
Irritability or frustration, even over small matters&lt;br&gt;<br><br>
Loss of interest or pleasure in normal activities &lt;br&gt;<br><br>
Reduced sex drive &lt;br&gt;<br><br>
Insomnia or excessive sleeping &lt;br&gt;<br><br>
Changes in appetite &amp;#8212;depression often causes decreased appetite and weight loss, but in some people it causes increased cravings for food and weight gain &lt;br&gt;<br><br>
Agitation or restlessness &amp;#8212;for example, pacing, hand-wringing or an inability to sit still &lt;br&gt;<br><br>
Slowed thinking, speaking or body movements &lt;br&gt;<br><br>
Indecisiveness, distractibility and decreased concentration &lt;br&gt;<br><br>
Fatigue, tiredness and loss of energy &amp;#8212;even small tasks may seem to require a lot of effort &lt;br&gt;<br><br>
Feelings of worthlessness or guilt, fixating on past failures or blaming yourself when things aren't going right &lt;br&gt;<br><br>
Trouble thinking, concentrating, making decisions and remembering&lt;br&gt;<br><br>
Frequent thoughts of death, dying or suicide &lt;br&gt;<br><br>
Crying spells for no apparent reason &lt;br&gt;<br><br>
Unexplained physical problems, such as back pain or headaches&lt;/p&gt;</p><br>
<p>And here is a tidbit about how clinical depression, as an illness, affects the work place. 213 million lost work days due to clinical depression, accourding to this articles that quotes a 1994 study.&lt;br&gt;<br><br>
&lt;a href="http://http://www.referenceforbusiness.com/encyclopedia/A-Ar/Absenteeism.html"&gt;http://www.referenceforbusiness.com/encyclopedia/A-Ar/Absenteeism.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</p><br>
<p>While I recognize the need for the public to know and understand this information, I can't help but wonder if it isn't all just promoting the stereotype that depression makes you lazy, unreliable, disabled in some way. As though people who suffer from depression or other mental illness just put an extra burden on the work place, on society as a whole. Instead of helping people to understand how serious and real mental illness is, are people inturpreting it all as the mentally ill are just less capable? </p><br>
<p>Some times I'll ask Chuck things like, "Are we earthy crunchy parents?" "Do you think we are the weird liberal neighbors?" He always responds with "I reject all labels." Ok, well, that's great but what if your label is an actual diagnosis? No employer would look at some one with...say...high blood pressure and decide that made them unfit for their job, unless of course it is a job requiring top physical health for safety, but even then if it is controled by meds... However, if an employer was looking at two equal resumes, and (yes I know its illegal but I am trying to make a point) one applicant has high blood pressure and the other is biopolar...most people would assume the person with high blood pressure is more stable, more capable of doing a job under high stress, more reliable. </p>
<p>Often just getting a diagnosis of being mentally ill can make one feel less empowered. I know many times I have though of myself as "crazy" and Chuck hides his ADD from most people because he feels like they will judge him. Yet we are both fully capable of functioning. We are responsible parents, workers, pet owners and friends. We have a "normal" life, where frankly most people who know us do not know we both have a major mental health diagnosis, let alone more than one condition. We take our meds, go to therapy, go to our psych doc, and live our lives. It seems that those arround us are more affected by knowing our diagnosis than we are. My parents seems to think I need to be taken care of, watched over. They are constantly worried that Chuck has too much baggage to "take care of me and my daughter" but I am not asking him to take care of us. I am taking care of us. My sister is constantly reminding me of how capable I am, and how I shouldn't let anyone tell me I am thisa thing or that thing. But what if I am THAT THING? I do suffer from depression. I accept that. Does that make me any less capable? HELL no! If anything it has made me stronger, more educated, more resourceful. I have a special admiration for Ani Difranco because I find strength in her lyrics. You will find I quote her often, but one of my favorites is "I don't need anyone to hold me I can hold my own" and I believe it is true, and I have been told it is true by many people (Chuck included). </p>
<p>Empowerment is an important thing. Writing this blog has made me feel empowered and validated. Music makes me feel empowered, and yoga, and meditation, and hearing other's storied of their own empowerment. In that spirt here is list of people how had a mental illness who made major contributions to our world:
Abraham Lincoln had severe deppression & suicidal thoughts.
Virginia Wolf- drark drastic mood swings
Lionel Aldridge-was schizophrenic
Eugene O'Neil a famous playwright- clinical depression
Beethoven-bipolar
VanGogh, Isaac Newton, Hemmingway, Tennessee Williams, Winston Churchill, Sylvia Plath all had mental health conditions yet all contributed to society in different, amazing ways. (The link below links to the NAMI article I got the list from) no matter what they did, clearly they are capable people, just like me.
<p>&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="http://http://www.nami.org/Template.cfm?Section=Helpline1&amp;template=/ContentManagement/ContentDisplay.cfm&amp;ContentID=4858"&gt;http://www.nami.org/Template.cfm?Section=Helpline1&amp;amp;template=/ContentManagement/ContentDisplay.cfm&amp;amp;ContentID=4858&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</p></p>
I know all about the perception that society has place on people who have been deemed mentally ill. It is a burden to bare for those that suffer. Aren't they in enough suffering without those around them not even trying to understand that they are in pain. Yes, they are in pain. Maybe not physical pain but they are suffering more than we will every understand.
ReplyDeleteWe have all heard, I think, of perceived pain. We are in as much pain or hardship as we "feel" that we are. It is a very personal thing, Pain. So, no one...and I mean NO ONE in this world can tell another that their problems just aren't big enough to warrant depression or suffering.
My loved one also suffers the most horrible pain and torture and yes it is all in his head. However, it affects him physically and radiates into all parts of his life. Most bothersome to him is that it affects his personality. Depression can be that way too. That massive list of symptoms is a bit overwhelming but I first hand know all to well anxiety, physical pain, sorrow and sadness, being overcome with the feeling of wanting to end it all. These things are upsetting to admit and they are mentally and physically painful. When are we unable to function as a human anymore...well, there are periods of that for me. Days when I am just curled up in a ball in a closet crying and rocking back and forth. I am filled with a sense of dread and wishing that I could just go to sleep and not wake.
This for sure isn't the worst that some of us have suffered. Depression is a sickness. It is passed from generation to generation in my case. I see that my family all suffer in similar ways and amounts (less or more)
I feel if we won't recognize depression/ anxiety and related illnesses including mental illness we just are in denial. We help those with cancer and diabetes....why not lend help to those with mental illness and struggle. They need us, as a society and the health field needs to get on the ball and start opening their eyes to the truth of this pain.