Depression-Like Ripples in a Pond | It Reaches Out All Around Us
John Folk-Williams’ Story (excerpts): “Lately, I’ve come across a number of questions online by plainly anguished people, asking: Why do I have no friends, no life? Thinking back over many years of living with depression, I can quickly find many reasons why I had such trouble finding a friend to talk to when I most needed one. All this added up to a comprehensive strategy for remaining friendless. And that’s what it was – a series of my own actions to keep me isolated from the help that friends might offer and pull me out of the life I’d had with them.” (John Folk-Williams, Depressed: No Friends, No Life,Storied Mind)
Leslie Templeton’s Story, “I felt really embarrassed to admit how much I really struggle with depression. It’s scary to think how people will look at you after you tell them the “d” word. Will they give you sympathy you don’t want or avoid you because you are too much? It’s hard going to college and missing classes because you struggle even to literally lift your head because you’re just so exhausted. You keep telling yourself 10 more minutes, 10 more minutes, but eventually you just give up and stay in bed for the day. Like it’s not just emotionally tired, it’s physical exhaustion.” (Leslie Templeton, Why I’m Embarrassed to Tell People I Struggle With Depression, The Mighty)
“Untreated clinical depression is a serious problem. Untreated depression increases the chance of risky behaviors such as drug or alcohol addiction. It also can ruin relationships, cause problems at work, and make it difficult to overcome serious illnesses.
Clinical depression, also known as major depression, is an illness that involves the body, mood, and thoughts. Clinical depression affects the way you eat and sleep. It affects the way you feel about yourself and those around you. It even affects your thoughts.
People who are depressed cannot simply “pull themselves together” and be cured. Without proper treatment, including antidepressants and/or psychotherapy, untreated clinical depression can last for weeks, months, or years. Appropriate treatment, however, can help most people with depression.” (Untreated Depression, WebMd)
“Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is an effective treatment for depression. At the heart of CBT is an assumption that a person’s mood is directly related to his or her patterns of thought. Negative, dysfunctional thinking affects a person’s mood, sense of self, behavior, and even physical state. The goal of cognitive behavioral therapy is to help a person learn to recognize negative patterns of thought, evaluate their validity, and replace them with healthier ways of thinking.
At the same time, therapists who practice CBT aim to help their patients change patterns of behavior that come from dysfunctional thinking. Negative thoughts and behavior predispose an individual to depression and make it nearly impossible to escape its downward spiral. When patterns of thought and behavior are changed, according to CBT practitioners and researchers, so is mood.” (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Depression, WebMd)
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