Mental health awareness

Tonight in my small group, a member mentioned how her parents keep asking if she's depressed.  Although she isn't, it got me thinking again... About awareness of mental health, sensitivity to it, and also my own experience with it.

For starters, there is not nearly the amount of awareness there should be over mental health.  As "social" media is becoming more and more popular, people are becoming lonelier and lonelier, and therefore depression is becoming an increasing problem.  From my experience, it just seems like people don't quite understand what constitutes depression, anxiety, stress... Or really any other form of mental illness. The awareness just isn't there, and people don't get the help they need.

Which leads to sensitivity.  Because of the lack of understanding over what mental illness really is, there far too little sensitivity regarding mental health.  The terms depression and OCD are the two that I see abused the most.  Depression particularly strikes a chord with me, as I'll explain in the next paragraph, but also with OCD... I know a friend who has OCD, and it's not just liking organization or being bothered by little details. OCD can take a huge toll on daily life.  OCD stands for obsessive compulsive and that's exactly what it is.  And depression. I know so many people who have struggled with depression, and to see people saying things like, "oh, I'm so depressed that the trip got cancelled" and other phrases along those lines bothers me a lot because not only have I seen what true depression does to others, but I've experienced it myself. I have one friend in particular who suffers from an assortment of mental health issues including but not limited to depression, anxiety, OCD, PTSD, and gender dysphoria.  Having received texts and emails in the middle of the night as my friend goes through panic attacks... I've learned that depression is not a term to use lightly.  The terms need to stop being tossed around casually.

As for myself... Three long winters in a row, from November to March, I suffered from SAD: Seasonal Affective Disorder.  I don't want to detail too much what happened, because it was a dark time for me, but initially I didn't realize what it was and thought I was just down in the dumps. Having never thought I would ever get depression, I just assumed the thoughts were caused by stress or a bad mood.  Until the next winter when it returned.  And then the next.   By this time I had finally figured out that I had SAD, and when summer came and I could discuss it without getting defensive or, as my influenced mind told me, trying to stay depressed so people would notice me, I alerted my mom.  Thankfully, and I believe this is truly only from my new development of a healthier friend group and growing relationship with Christ, my SAD did not return this winter and I didn't have to have my mom step in to help me.

My experience has helped me to understand that mental health is not taught about as much as it should be.  I can't imagine how many other people, like myself, don't know what they're struggling with.  My experience, plus my friendship with others who struggle, has also struck my interest in becoming a counselor/therapist.  I don't want anyone going through depression if I can help it, so maybe that's just what I'll do.

So, here's to the hope that mental health awareness will grow and the problem itself will shrivel away!