a strong recommendation

Clinical depression is a disease that affects 1 in 4 women and 1 in 10 people in the US.  You probably know someone who suffers from depression.  If you don’t know someone who suffers from depression, let me tell you – you know someone who suffers from depression.  You just don’t know that you know.

But if you know that you know…well, that can be hard.  If you are in love with someone who has depression – that is harder still.  I’m going to go out on a limb here and making an absolute statement.  I believe that unless a person has experienced depression (and I am not talking about sadness), a person cannot possibly know what it is like, what it is about, or how to help.  There’s just no way.  Part of the problem is that the depressed person has a very difficult time, especially while depressed, to put into words what is happening in his/her mind and spirit.  It’s very difficult to describe the feelings and experience.

I listened to this podcast about a month ago and was overwhelmed and relieved to hear other people talking about their depression in a way that was accurate and authentic.  I suddenly felt like I had company.  For the last six weeks I’ve been depressed, and severely depressed this past week.  It’s been very difficult for my husband who, though he tries with the best of intentions, does not understand what I am going through and I know feels frustrated and at a loss.  Today we sat and listened to this podcast together and he said that it helped illuminate more clearly what the disease really is (again, not sadness) and how to “be” with a person who is depressed.

I could write a ten page essay about the different points brought up in this podcast that I related to so strongly.   One of the most important aspects touched upon was in the second interview wherein the guest spoke to what others can do for those who they love that are depressed.  And I would say, a good first start is to listen to this program.