My name is Ron and I work for the Center for Independent Living in Duluth Minnesota.
I have been working here for a little over a year. My disability is Mental Health issues.
I have depression and anxiety issues. I have lived with my condition for many years.
There is no easy way to describe depression since it can take many shapes and forms.
Understand that the brain is like any other organ in the body, when something goes
wrong or just doesn't function properly, it affects your moods and your thoughts. For the
most part I would consider it a hidden disability. Hidden disabilities often go undiagnosed
because they are not visible to the naked eye. With my depression it is like having lost
someone close and going through a grief process. But the reality is that I haven't lost
anyone but my mind takes through this process anyway. I go through periods where I
just can't seem to pull out of it for several days. But I find through support from my friends
and fellow co-workers that it doesn't last as long. Usually when I keep myself busy the
depression seems to fade. It is usually during idle times or the winter months where it
seems to be the worst. Depression is not something to be taken lightly since it can have
serious consequences if not treated. Depression can be devastating and incapacitating to
those affected by it. It often goes undiagnosed because of a lack of understanding the
symptoms. There is normal depression that happens as a result of events in our lives, and
then there is depression that is just there.
I feel that it is important to understand the symptoms of depression, because if
diagnosed early it is very treatable for the most part. To often we see someone who is
hurting or is depressed and we write it off by thinking that they will get over it, that it is
just temporary. True depression is not temporary; it can be a lifelong struggle.
Symptoms of depression can be one or more of the following: Isolation, Withdrawing
from others, sadness for no apparent reason, frequent crying spells, loss of appetite,
suicidal thoughts, and unfortunately in some cases the actual act of suicide. Make no
mistake about depression; it is a disease, which can have serious consequences if left
untreated or blown off as some other condition.
However, it is important to know with support and treatment it is very treatable.
Acceptance was the first step I had to take. That it is a disease, not a character flaw.
Depression is not a choice I made, I didn't wake up one day and decide to have a mental
health issue. When I finally decided that I needed help and that my methods of treatment
weren't working all that well I decided that I would seek out professional help. So I entered
into an outpatient Mental Health treatment program. Got me a
psychiatrist, some medication,
some group therapy, and some one on one's. While this vastly improved my ability to cope
with my condition, it was the support from others who live with Mental Health issues that
provided me with the best treatment in the world. To know that I was not alone any more
and was able to make new friends have given me a new sense of direction and hope for the
future. The best medication I found is the support of fellow consumers, and the ability to
share the good with the bad. Someone is always willing to listen when I am having bad times
as well as good. Sometimes that's all it takes is a listening ear.
So if you, or someone you know is dealing with depression or any other form of Mental
Health it is important to know that there resources out there to help. Don't be afraid to pick
up the phone and ask. Don't get me wrong, I still have my days, but at least they don't seem
to last as long because I have a lot of support from my fiends and co-workers.
I know that there is still a lot of stigmatizing when it comes to Mental Health issues and it
is the mission of us to change the misguided conceptions people have. It will be an ongoing
campaign. But we can lead by example as those individuals who have other disabilities have.
