Depression. It Can Creep Up on You…

It’s insidious, meaning it starts slowly, not even noticeable at first, yet it is harmful.

You may have never experienced it before.

Without realizing it, your thinking shifts. Despair slowly creeps in.

You seek to make sense of your feelings. You attribute them to your situation or relationship of both.

It’s a depressive episode. The first. It overwhelms. Eventually it is labeled a major depressive episode.

Along the way it tears at you and with that cleaves you from friends, family, children, work.

Conflict has likely long since arisen, the impact of your distancing, withdrawal.

The changes feel personal to others. It is not understood.

There may be suicidal thoughts, actions, hospitalization, medications, even electroconvulsive therapy (ECT).

Memories are altered, some gone. Some feelings of emptiness and/or not belonging may remain.

From insidious onset, a decent into hell.

Few understand. It is not a choice. It’s an illness.

The impacts are so much greater than the abject depression of the individual. The misunderstanding by all creates division, anger, loss, grief.

Help must include education for everyone.

Support must be extended to not only the individual affected, but their entire family.

It’s unfair. It happens. Education, learning this is not a choice, but the impacts of a major depressive episode is key to survival and adjustment for everyone.

Life isn’t the same, but can be better.

We learn, we share, we support, we cope.

A horrific experience integrated versus railed against can be better managed.

Yes, people get through this. Forever changed, oddly better, wiser, more humbled.

Talking about it is key.

This post can be the start of that conversation.

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I am Gary Direnfeld and I am a social worker. Check out all my services and then call me if you need help with a personal issue, mental health concern, child behavior or relationship, divorce or separation issue or even help growing your practice. I am available in person and by video conferencing.

Gary Direnfeld, MSW, RSW

gary@yoursocialworker.com
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Gary Direnfeld is a social worker. Courts in Ontario, Canada, consider him an expert in social work, marital and family therapy, child development, parent-child relations and custody and access matters. Gary is the host of the TV reality show, Newlywed, Nearly Dead, former parenting columnist for the Hamilton Spectator and author of Marriage Rescue: Overcoming the ten deadly sins in failing relationships. Gary maintains a private practice in Georgina Ontario, providing a range of services for people in distress. He speaks at conferences and workshops throughout North America. He consults to mental health professionals as well as to mediators and collaborative law professionals about good practice as well as building their practice.