Simple Poetry.

[Ann]

Would you be able to share it with us? I'd think more than one of us are familiar with a "black dog".
Strangely enough, and despite me saying I had difficulties reading Tanhaiyan now, I did actually get through it the other day and still seem to be here, unscathed.

Mmm... still too raw methinks, but I will post an article "wot I rote" for a group of people with the same condition as myself, of which depression plays quite a large part; trying to persuade them to stop feeling guilty about having the "black dog".

DEPRESSION – A Personal View

Depression is a clinical illness just as diabetes, thyroid or any other that is caused by a malfunction or imbalance in our minds or bodies.
Clinical depression usually means a depletion of certain substances needed to keep our minds and bodies healthy. It can be triggered off by various means, either nutritional, chemical, or trauma such as the death of a loved one, being in a very unhappy partnership or certain illnesses etc., or sometimes it manifests itself without an obvious cause.
If there is a depletion of some chemical or other, then there are medications which can help to balance things out. Just as someone with diabetes needs insulin, so a depressed individual needs whatever chemical is in short supply.
It sometimes takes a few tries to find the right medication to suit the individual. Then when the mind starts to recover and the sufferer can see a way forward again, it has an add-on effect and can be the beginning of a new era.
Sadly, as often as not, it can recur and that is where counseling, sharing with someone who understands etc., comes into play. It is a question of finding the right people to help with mental and physical intervention and trusting them enough to turn to them before things get as bad again.
Depression can creep up again and again and that is where understanding friends whom you trust are invaluable. You learn to believe them when they say they can see you sliding back into the black hole and hopefully you will not fall so far again.
I think a lot of us were indoctrinated with the “pull your self together” advice and we would all like to think we can "snap out of it" but it is not that easy. At least nowadays it doesn't have the same stigma attached and anyone who does ridicule or mock a sufferer is very fortunate in that they don't know what they are talking about!
I know it takes a long while to accept depression but once you find the right medication and begin to feel better, you will be glad that you faced up to your illness. Because illness is what it is and is nothing to be ashamed of and it needs to be treated like any other disease.
If you look up depression on the web, you will find many articles describing the condition and the effects and symptoms. Read as much as you can about it and you will begin to understand what is happening to you and how you can help yourself by being well informed. Knowledge is invaluable.
The benefits of depression is that you get to know yourself and look at life more intently and hopefully see things in a different way that will help you sort out your priorities. The experience can often enhance your understanding of life, yourself and others.
Until you experience the depression, you'll never know what it is, and the people who judge need to be educated or ignored.

[Kingetter]

Thank you Ann. Very well put.
One lesson I learnt was that the first step to be taken is recognising that a problem exists and needs to be dealt with rather than shoved under the carpet.
I also know that in most cases, it isn't curable, although we learn to live with it most of the time.
Thanks again.
James.