Depression is a silent disease that is too often untreated and/or misunderstood. The following myths need to be re-examined and the truth revealed so that people suffering in silence can get the help they so desperately need.
Myth 1: People Who Are Depressed Are Weak Minded
It is this type of thinking that causes people suffering from depression to do so in silence. Just because you are depressed doesn’t mean that you are a weak-minded person. It does, however, mean that your mind has stored all that it can and that you have dealt with everyone’s problems and not taken time to deal with your own. Eventually, when you push your problems to background, those feelings will come rushing back to the forefront. When this happens you get overwhelmed.
Myth 2: Being Depressed Is The Same As Being Sad
Sadness is a temporary state of being. It will go away. When sadness becomes an overwhelming feeling, that is a symptom of depression. Many people suffering from depression believe that they are sad, and depression goes undiagnosed and untreated. If you feel like you are drowning in sadness, chances are you are suffering from depression and you need help.
Depression Only Happens After a Traumatic Event
While depression often occurs after a trauma has been suffered, traumatic events are not the only trigger for depression. Trauma itself does not cause depression. It is how you deal with the trauma that is important.
Only Women Get Depressed
It is true that women are diagnosed and treated for depression more often than men. Women tend to deal with their feelings head-on while men often repress their feelings in order to be a real man.
If You Are Depressed, Take A Pill
It is commonly believed that if you are depressed then you should simply take a pill and all will be well. While anti-depressants are often prescribed, they are only a step in the healing process.
Living with depression is hard; living with undiagnosed, untreated depression can be fatal. If you suffer from depression, don’t suffer silently. Talk to a health professional.