Let's Talk Depression

What Did He Just Say!?

“I’m not so despondent about life anymore.”

“I ran this week.”

“I did Easter for the first time in years. I even cooked!”

“I don’t know what changed, but I smile now…and I laugh.”

“I haven’t heard him sing in years.”

“She asked me to make an appointment for her to get her hair dyed. She hasn’t dyed her hair since Christmas 2015.”

Identifying the way in which ketamine rapidly alleviates treatment resistant depression could pave way for new generation of treatments.

What Did They Just Say!?

“I’m not so despondent about life anymore.”

“I ran this week.”

“I did Easter for the first time in years. I even cooked!”

“I don’t know what changed, but I smile now…and I laugh.”

“I haven’t heard him sing in years.”

“She asked me to make an appointment for her to get her hair dyed. She hasn’t dyed her hair since Christmas 2015.”

Sometimes It’s About Surviving the Day

If ever in your life you could not pay your electricity bill, you probably were not able to focus on much else. I’m guessing you were not considering ways to improve your relationship with your child, planning a weekend with friends, or even meeting anyone for coffee. You were likely highly stressed and focused only on how you would keep the lights on.

When our basic needs aren’t met, the rest of what might be important cannot be addressed. The mind expends all its energy on securing the necessities to survive. Anything unrelated to making sure you have the essentials is put on the backburner.

When All Else Fails, Stare at Your Phone...Right!? 

You know that if you would quit smoking, start exercising three days a week, make plans with a friend, keep a gratitude journal, and start eating healthier, you’d be happier, right? You also should “Breathe, and let it go” and know that “Dark days don’t linger for long,” like those Instagram posts tagged #happiness read.

But Then You Feel Worse

There you are, lying in bed, scrolling aimlessly through your phone and wishing you did not need to go to the bathroom because you don’t even have the energy to sit up. You slept 8.5 hours last night, like most nights, yet you don’t feel rested. In fact, you’re exhausted, and there’s zero desire inside of you to get up for class, for work, for breakfast. The new antidepressant your doctor started you on five weeks ago hasn’t made a difference, and you are so sick of changing medications. So, you continue to scroll through Facebook, looking at pictures of couples smiling, one friend’s weight loss before/after shots, another’s motivational quote for the day, and a shared Bible verse on the importance of having faith. ‘Faith in what!?,’ you ask aloud, and force yourself to roll out of bed, feeling worse about your pathetic life than you did an hour ago.