We think of someone in a straight jacket. Someone crazy. Someone who has no control. That couldn't be further from the truth, though.
Society, history, movies, books and media have helped base our ideas of depression. Darn you, yet again, society! You say, "I have Diabetes," and no one thinks anything of it. You say, "I'm depressed," and then people act differently. What's even more sad, is that those of us who are on anti-depressants are too ashamed to talk about that, too. It's this dirty secret you keep to yourself. No one needs to know I'm crazy and taking medication! People can be just fine without them, yet I have to rely on this stupid drug to feel like a normal person. Well lemme tell you something. Yes, you DO need that drug to feel like a normal person. And guess what? THAT'S OKAY! My husband has to take insulin for his Type 1 Diabetes. No one ever told him not to take it, lest he feel like less of a "normal" person. There is NO such thing as a normal person. Not a single one of us is normal. There is a Weezer song that I just adore, "We are all on drugs." We are. We are all on drugs. Pharmaceutical, or herbal, almost all of us do things to look better, to feel better, to be better. We're all on drugs. There is no shame, and there is nothing wrong with trying to heal what is sick. I don't make enough progesterone, so I take a progesterone cream. A silly little hormone. I am deficient in making it. So I have to supplement or deal with horrible symptoms. I take my progesterone. Mmmmm, nasty side effects all gone. Maybe if I take anti-depressants I can get rid of my depression? Mmmm, maybe...
So here I am. On Prozac. Here to tell you there is no shame in any deficiency. After all, we're human, right? That's bound to happen. Don't put your life in danger. Don't let your children go without a mother or a father because you were too embarrassed to get help.
Postpartum depression doesn't mean you don't love yourself or your baby. It happens because when you're pregnant, your body makes a butt-load of extra hormones. When you give birth, those hormones drop instantly. Going from being surged with hormones to dropping is bound to make you feel awful.
Having an illness like me. Another reason why depression is not something you choose. I have holes in my brain. M.S. cuts off receptors to the part of the brain that deals with emotions, resulting in depression.
Maybe you were born with it. Depression is hereditary.
The point I'm making, is that it's physical. You didn't choose depression any more than I chose M.S. It's just another physical thing we have to deal with. That's all. There is nothing dirty, shameful, or bad about depression, OR seeking help for it. It doesn't make you weak. If I broke your leg and then told you to deal with it, you'd think I was insane. If you're not making enough serotonin, go see a doctor! Like everything else that physically ails you. I have been there my whole life, I understand all the hesitations. "Well, I don't want him to think I'm crazy." He's a doctor. What's embarrassing is a pap smear. Yet we still get those. These are trained medical professionals. No one cares if you've shaved down there, or if you're depressed. No judgments. This is what they came into the profession to do. To help. No matter the ailment.
I was on Zoloft as a teenager, Celexa for Postpartum Depression, and now Prozac for the M.S. Yay for anti-depressants. I would not be here today if it weren't for them. I feel so much better on them. There is no shame in wanting to be happy. Wanting to feel better. I want to be happy, I want to feel better. So here I am. As someone who really understands depression. There is no shame.
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| Don't worry. Be happy. |
