Image by Clker-Free-Vector-Images from Pixabay It’s funny the stories we tell ourselves. “Fake it until you make it” has always been my motto. And I have always felt that there is more for me to do before I can say I have made it. As the head psychiatrist on 5 East asked me, “when is enough, enough?” Getting one more certification, one more set of initials after my name, … [Read more...] about I Discovered My Life with Depression is Not a Lie
Fortune-Telling
Stigma Has Kept Me From “Coming Out” With My Depression
If I weren't still dragging around the fear of what they might say, I would openly use my 500th blog post to email this letter to my friends and family. Dear Friend, I suffer from depression. (1) My life with depression started before I was 19, and depression has been a factor in most of my life’s decisions, both small and large. I do not say this to excuse my … [Read more...] about Stigma Has Kept Me From “Coming Out” With My Depression
What Makes Depression Create Stigma, Unlike a Broken Arm?
Researching stigma as it relates to mental health, I came across Kevin Breel presenting a TED Talk, Confessions of a depressed comic. Paraphrasing Kevin, he said,” “Break a bone, and you get all kinds of sympathy, offers to help, and friends who want to sign your cast. Admit you have depression, and you hear crickets in the background as people shuffle to the back of the … [Read more...] about What Makes Depression Create Stigma, Unlike a Broken Arm?
Why “I Have Depression, Depression Does Not Have Me “
The story of my life facing depression head-on; after only 62 years of ignoring it, never calling it by name, hiding it from everyone including myself, and sweeping the crumbs of each episode under the rug each time it was over, as I walked away never looking back. I am putting my thoughts together in what may become a book. But before I start: This will not be a book … [Read more...] about Why “I Have Depression, Depression Does Not Have Me “
Why Can’t I Just Make It Easy And Stop Facing My Depression?
Facing my depression, and saying it's name out loud, has been work. Sometimes the work has been exhausting. It has only been easy on rare occasions. Most of the time some effort is required on my part to call out depression’s antics and to work through an alternative that doesn’t involve unhelpful thinking. Yet in the past, time travel worked. I was able to ruminate … [Read more...] about Why Can’t I Just Make It Easy And Stop Facing My Depression?
