When the experts and advocates say that depression is treatable, it means that effective treatment is available to help most people (70%-90%) to experience relief from the symptoms of depression. They don’t use the phrase of curing depression, because a cure would mean eradicating and getting rid of the illness 100% and never having it come back. Around the globe, depression affects over 280 million people, or 5% of the world’s population.
And there’s a ton of information out there, on the internet, about depression (1,920,000,000 results) & anxiety (1,700,000,000 results). I mention both of them because they’re the most common of mental health struggles, and while treatable, not all get treatment, many due to stigma & shame, or lack of accessibility, affordability, availability, or acceptability.
Another reason: it’s hard work to go through depression, to do the good & healthy things required in treatment, and do the work of resilience. Very hard work.
Day by day. Moment by moment.
That’s what I’m in the midst of personally. I’m going through an episode of depression. It’s been over a month. I’ve adjusted my medication mix several times. It feels like I’m in survival mode; but I’m actively engaged in actions of resilience: doing a few tasks (how much or how little I can handle), exercising, eating nutritiously, sleeping well, being social & not isolating, and spirituality in the way of Jesus. Just started a free online course for Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) to learn more skills for health & wellness.
I’ve been through episodes of depression in the past, like in 2007 or 2017, so I am prayerful & hopeful that I’ll get through this episode.
many kinds of sufferings, illnesses, and diseases
Life has all kinds of suffering—physically, emotionally, mentally, relationally, financially, trauma, disaster. We as fellow humans are not alone in that. And, we can’t just wish it away.
What we can do is grow through these experiences, with the help of a few good friends, good family, safe people, and professionals. There is hope. And life is worth fighting for and living for.
Also know that life is not all suffering. There is so much goodness in life, even in the midst of suffering. The amazing thing about Judeo-Christian spirituality, is that God can turn suffering into good. Believe you me, I am not someone that rises to the challenge or motivated to accomplish goals, so it is counterintuitive for me to do hard things.
Know someone who’s going through struggles & hurting?
Your care & love, prayer & support would be most valuable. Check-in by text, email, or phone about once a week, or more often if you’re available. Don’t give advice. Ask 3 simple questions & listen empathetically:
- what happened?
- how did it make you feel?
- what was the hardest part for you?
And, you could ask this, too: how can I support you? Though, I confess, when I’m asked that question, I draw a blank, and don’t know what to say. Maybe that’s not such a great question for some people.
|| [update 12/14: I just had a 2nd thought about what is helpful & valuable support to me. That’s connecting by voice or video calls, with a friend or a stranger who is an empathetic listener. A conversation is not a delay tactic, it adds strength and healing. I need the real-life real-time experiences of engaging with people, not so much about my depression, but about all the good things of life too. Having memories of how I’ve helped people, how people have cared and loved me, what I have to offer, and so on, that’s all good. And, I also need to rehearse those memories and create new stories, and being fully present for live conversations about life will rewire my brain and help it on its healing journey!]
What if you’re going through depression?
You’re not alone. It’s okay to ask for help. And, there is hope that it’ll get better. That mantra got me thru 9 months of depression in 2017.
I’ll add that what’s getting me through this time around, is believing life is worth fighting for because of the next steak dinner, the next time of seeing my wife, son, family, and friends, the next time support group meeting, the next Christmas & Easter, tomorrow’s sunrise & sunset. Whether the day is going to be harder or less so, each day is a gift worth living out. Lord have mercy.
Let me share something personal and answer the 3 questions above. I felt particularly sluggish after Daylight Savings Time ended on November 3rd, 2024. Day by day, the gears of mind started to grind slower and slower towards a halt. Trying to do anything and everything was more and more difficult. That affected my work life and the rest of my day. I denied calling it depression, because frankly, it’s humiliating and embarrassing to admit.
When I took the PHQ-9 Questionnaire, a popular depression screening test, the results said I had moderately severe depression.
Here’s some words from my journal during the past month of feelings & thoughts I’m experiencing: grateful to be alive; my feelings & thoughts are attacking me; motivation is lacking; stressed; frozen; derailed; triggered; weighed down; the just shall live by faith; have patience; unenergetic; low energy; slow motion; heavy; surrendered; savoring; relief; disoriented; restless; anxious; loved; cared for; supported; valued.
These words are not listed in any particular order & randomly selected. Here’s the thing about depression, when you’ve met one person experiencing depression, you’ve met one person with depression. Each person’s experience is unique, personalized, and customized, like a fingerprint.
As for the hardest part of this depression this time? Being unable to think or reason clearly & not knowing how long this episode will be.
One final share. Here’s what it feels like to be on medication that I’m currently taking to treat my mental health condition:
—
Photo by Chinigraphy on Unsplash