[depressedalaskan]

If you suffer from depression, What do we need?
If you know someone with depression, What do they need?

I suffer from major double double depression and I am a surviver of suicide. I am working with a prevention director. My first time talking to someone outside my doctors office about my illness. I want to try and help others with this illness and would like to hear your ideas. These Ideas will be shared with others, but your names will never come up.

1) I myself would like to see an easier way to get help. The help is in many communities but not lit up with lights so we don't know that they are there. I see many people on this forum wondering what to do, where to go, who can I talk to and how can I save my own life.

2) I myself would also like to see more education on depression in each community when adults and children are together. Mybe a few words in church, before a ball game, in our class rooms. Get the word out, that there is help. Let us people know that we have a safe place to go or call.

I would very much like to hear your thoughts.

Thanks

[venusss]

More existential aproach in treatment. It's not all about chemistry and scienticized therapies.

For many it's about finding place, finding peace with one's past and deeds. Include spiritual aspects into the debate (I am not speaking of religion, but rather of.... well, believing in something beyond oneself. Some sense of purpose. One cannot be happy and satisfied in vacuum. Sense of purpose is a preservation mechanism).

As for education... learn people how to handle emotions and life. I am being serious... it is skill like every other, and nobody teaches that anymore......

[Rohag]

Originally Posted by depressedalaskan

If you suffer from depression, What do we need?

Back when I ceased being a productive member of society, I needed the medical bureaucracy to realize I was too overwhelmed to deal with them in a conventional manner. Even as some medically specialize in mental illnesses, I wish there were parallel bureaucratic specialists for us or at least specially trained to assist us.

[dailyhealing]

Thanks for sharing this! I suppose I consider myself "lucky" because I feel I have healed a great deal from my depression and have learned to function most times in life. I know that there are different levels of depression, and some are able to get better by treatment and yet others are not so much. I discovered my difficulties at a pretty young age (19ish?) and have worked at it since then with some success. I still have my moments and will likely be on medication forever. At least for a long time... Along the way, what I needed was love, care, courage, friends, medication, therapy... There are probably other things, but these are the first that came to mind.

I like your second thought also. I think we as a society (I'm in the US, not sure what attitudes and laws are elsewhere) have made progress in terms of accepting mental illnesses as legitimate medical issues. I see some positive signs there, but we have a LONG way to go. I have seen two commercials running recently that I find encouraging. One is a public service announcement by Mark Harmon (an actor) stressing the need for funding and understanding for bipolar disorder. I don't remember exactly what he said in it, but it was definitely advocating for education and understanding. I don't watch a TON of tv, and have seen this ad at least 10 times. So I imagine it runs fairly often. Another ad I have seen is by NAMI (national alliance for mental illness?) that is also advocating the need for care. Here is the website if you want to read about NAMI and what they do. www.nami.org I am also involved in a walk this summer sponsored by the AFSP (American Foundation for Suicide Prevention). They do an annual walk that runs overnight called out of the darkness. They also do shorter ones in communities around the country throughout the year. I believe the AFSP is for education, treatment, research, and a few other things I can't remember. Here is the website www.afsp.org If you are curious about the walks there is a link at the top of the page called out of the darkness walks. This foundation raises millions of dollars for mental health issues, namely suicide prevention. This will be my first walk, and I know as of a month or so ago they already had over 1,000 people scheduled to walk. I'm excited. Anyhow, these are two things I know of that are out there. I'm sure there are others. I know there are people working for legislative action for mental illness funding etc... I also know funding in this area has been cut dramatically in this economy. So I think there is movement, but we have so far to go to make it so people with mental illnesses are able to find the treatment they need without the stigma.

Anyhow, I guess you opened up a topic that brings out my soapbox mentality. Not sure if this answers at all what you were talking about, but I hope you find the sites informative and I'd love to talk more if you like.

[pegasus]

Create your own toolbox for those times when you need. You can put what ever you need in that toolbox. In mine I have a 'safe place' to go to and comfort items.