Depression All Around Us
“Big Think’s recent article, “The Most Debilitating Disease in the World Isn’t Just in Your Head” discussed the World Health Organization’s (WHO) announcement that Major Depressive Disorder, more commonly known as depression is now the leading cause of poor health and disability in the world, with an 18% spike in diagnoses over the past few years. According to the article, the condition affects more than 300 million people across the globe and between 2-7% of individuals suffering from depression will go on to commit suicide. Additionally, depression higher rates of occurrence in developed nations than in the developing world, which begs the questions of whether it’s only the detection rates that are higher in the developed world, and whether there are even more undiagnosed cases out there. With these facts, it may be surprising to learn that the typical government only allocates 3% of its health budget toward mental health, but for every dollar spent in treatment and prevention of clinical depression four dollars of economic activity are gained back.” (Hendricks, 2017, Counseling Center of Illinois, Depression Is…All Around Us)
A personal story: “Society likes to put an evil twist on things. Everything natural and beautiful in life, they call you out and judge you for it. Society makes depression look like a deformity, and people with it have a lesser value than those who don’t. But guess what? I have depression. By just looking at me, you’d never know. That doesn’t make me less of a person in any way. It only means that I am struggling with things that no one else can see. Many people are battling depression, more then you know.” (neverletlifetakeyourspark , 7 Cups)
Twenge: “Everywhere you look, people these days are stressed out. Many reach a breaking point and sink into depression – a mental health issue few of our grandparents or great-grandparents experienced, yet is so common today.
Or is it? Perhaps people 50 or 75 years ago just didn’t talk about depression, and didn’t seek treatment for it (after all, effective treatments weren’t exactly available back then). Maybe people today are more willing to admit to their depression, and that’s why it looks like everyone is so stressed out and depressed. That’s why many researchers are skeptical of the claim that mental health issues are now more common.” (Jean M Twenge Ph.D, Why So Many People Are Stressed and Depressed, Psychology Today)
Lauren Polly: “I felt alone during the years I lived with bipolar depression. There is nothing easy about the reality of living with mental illness but from my perspective the most difficult thing to deal with and move past is the isolation.
No one seems to understand you. Even you don’t. You aren’t sure what is wrong – just that something doesn’t feel right. You can’t quite find the words to express it and may lack people who are willing to truly listen.
This leads to so many people struggling silently. The fear of being judged and the current stigma around mental illness doesn’t encourage people to speak up and get help. Our sense of isolation grows in the silence.
The greatest relief for me came when I found myself on a counselor’s couch. She was patient, non-judgmental, she knew when to speak and when to listen, she didn’t try to fix me, she didn’t label me. She just held space for all the upset, confusion and fear I had been living with to come out and be released.” (Lauren Polly, Author-The Other Side of Bipolar The Isolation of Depression; You Are Not Alone)
This is where Counseling on Demand comes in.
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