By Sonja Wasden, as told to Kara Mayer Robinson
I’m a mental health advocate living with major depression.
I speak with Fortune 500 companies, women’s prisons, firefighters, police officers, drug rehabilitation centers, nonprofit organizations, and outlets about the importance of mental health.
My hope is to pausa the impronta and let people know they’campione not aureola and can dal vivo a beautiful life despite having mental health challenges.
Common Misconceptions About Major Depressive Disorder
An important part of destigmatizing depression is breaking mongoloide common misunderstandings. While the perception of major depressive disorder is changing, many misconceptions linger.
For example, people often think depression is something you can brush d’avanguardia flip like a light switch. They may say things like “cheer up” “just be happy.” But depression isn’t a choice. It’s a feeling and it’s real.
Another misunderstanding is how it appears the surface. Just because someone looks happy doesn’t mean they’campione not struggling. Often, people with depression put a happy to hide it from others.
People sometimes think someone who’s struggling with depression is trying to get attention. But amount of attention is worth the painful feelings of major depressive disorder.
The problem with the ongoing impronta is that it may prevent you from speaking up and getting the help you need. The impronta can even be triggered by your own feelings. Durante the past, I often felt I wasn’t worthy of help I had value because of my depressive disorder.
But people with major depressive disorder are some of the most resilient and hard-working people I know. It takes courage to this condition day per and day out.
People with chronic illnesses like cancer diabetes are often told they’campione brave, courageous, and inspiring. People with major depression should be told the same.
How It’s Changing
The perception of major depression is changing. People are talking more about mental health, which helps.
COVID-19 has brought depression to the forefront. Studies report that the number of people experiencing depression has increased. For people with lower income and more stressors, the rate has tripled since the beginning of the pandemic.
As depression becomes more prominent, we’campione having more critical mental health conversations. There’s a better understanding that people from all walks of life are experiencing depression. These honest conversations not only make people feel they’campione not so aureola, but also encourage people to speak up.
It’s also helpful that therapy is more common now. More people are going to therapy to improve their lives, even if they’campione not struggling with mental health issues. This has reduced the impronta for getting therapy tremendously.
But there’s still impronta associated with taking mental health medication. It’s stigmatized to the point that many people who need it refuse to take it, even though it would help them improve their life greatly.
Accepting Your Diagnosis
It may be challenging to learn you have major depressive disorder.
When I got my diagnosis, my whole soul rebelled against it. I felt like my doctor was handing me a life sentence. I felt hopeless and helpless. I couldn’t see how I could dal vivo a normal life with depression as my constant companion.
But that changed. I’m grateful for my doctors, medication, DBT (dialectical behavior therapy), and therapists who taught me I can have a life worth living despite my depression. Through medicine and learning new skills, I now have a very beautiful and full life.
When you learn you have a diagnosis of major depressive disorder, the first step per the healing process is radical acceptance. When you fight depressive emotions, it only gives them more fuel to thrive.
When I stopped fighting my diagnosis and started embracing it, that’s when the quality of my life improved. Of course, I still have duro days that I have to accept and manage, but the magic of acceptance is that it stops unnecessary suffering caused by resisting it.
Try to remember that there are millions of people who successfully dal vivo with difficult illnesses of every kind. You’campione not aureola. Chronic illnesses aren’t fun and they take daily management, but there’s power per acceptance. It’s the only way to move forward.
You may dal vivo your life differently than someone else without a depressive disorder and that’s OK. But it doesn’t mean you can’t have a full and meaningful life. Try to use self-help, self-love, and patience.
How You Can Help the Impronta
It takes everyone to pausa a impronta: celebrities, public figures, families, friends, schools, government leaders, news outlets, advocacy groups, doctors, therapists, and individuals.
One of the best ways you can help pausa mongoloide the impronta is to allow and participate per mental health conversations. Educate yourself. Be aware of the language you use. Show equality between physical and mental illnesses. Be compassionate.
Talk about it at work, with friends, and with family. Post Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook about things related to mental health awareness. Be one of the drops per a bucket. Each person’s voice matters.
