Tuesday, April 15, 2014

Depression: The Silent Killer #depression #antidepressants #mentalillness

Depression: The Silent Killer
#depression #antidepressants #mentalillness

In the 90’s I had been in a committed, live-in relationship for seven years. I had discovered my partner was cheating, needed to leave him and our home together, wanted to leave him but was too comfortable, and felt paralyzed inside. Finally, I got the nerve to get my own apartment and venture out on my own. In the days that followed, I went to the doctor’s office for a yearly physical. The nurse practitioner asked me a few probing questions: “How are you feeling physically? Have you been through any situation where you have felt hurt or abused by another individual? Have you lost or gained weight without understanding why?”

In answering these questions, I broke down in tears in the office. I was still very saddened by the entire experience of the divorce. In the early 90s, antidepressants weren’t as common as they are now. The practitioner suggested I go on Zoloft and see if I feel better in a couple weeks. I had told him that I had been feeling down for almost two years, which concerned him. This news would concern me, as well, as a Life Coach. So, I did as he told me and took the medication. As the days unfolded, Zoloft made my stomach hurt. So, the practitioner tried another medication, Effexor, which didn’t seem to affect my digestion as much.

In three weeks, almost to the day, I felt as if I had crawled out of a very dark cave I had been living in—not just for two years—but my entire life. I saw trees and birds and nature as if I’d never ever recognized they existed around me 24-7. My entire life had been filled with abusive situations since I was young. Apparently, I moved into the inner recess of my mind to live for the rest of the hours of the day when my complete attention wasn’t needed.

I can remember people saying, “Isn’t that beautiful?” I would look at a flower or nature scene and simply wonder, what is beautiful? And, then, I would retreat back to my mind where everything was fantasy, and I could decide my fate with complete accuracy. I have been thankful to that psychiatric nurse practitioner who diagnosed my depression for my entire life, because I was, indeed, very depressed. I had gone undiagnosed for twenty years. I know for certain that many times in that twenty years I had suicidal ideations. Who knows if I would even be here to write about it, had I not been diagnosed.

Undiagnosed depression can cause many problems in the world. When you look at some of the world’s most terrible disasters, such as a student going on a shooting rampage at school and killing teachers and other students, we are simply looking at undiagnosed psychological disorders. So, who is responsible for these children and adults who can’t see for themselves that they have a problem? I remember discussing with a very good friend the need for him to get on an antidepressant. He was exhibiting all the signs that one sees in a depressed person: sleeping too much, gaining or losing weight, despondency, big highs and big lows, a great deal of illness, and a glazed over look in his eyes. He jumped down my throat and became angry with me. He thought that I was saying he was crazy. After I told him that I took an antidepressant, he still was angry. I explained about the need for serotonin in the brain to feel happy, but I really didn’t understand the dynamics of the brain then, so my explanation fell on deaf ears. Now, I was saying he was not only crazy but sick as well? I’m not sure. But, I don’t believe he ever got on any medication or went to the psychiatrist as I recommended. He stayed on a mental rolling coaster, until I quietly exited his life. This kind of exodus happens a great deal in depressed people’s lives, which only makes the problem worse.
Depression is all around us. We must take action and try to lead depressed people to help. All of the indicators of depression can easily be found on the Internet where anyone can see the contributing factors and even the medications that one can receive to help. We are in an age where these undiagnosed students should be found and helped before they reach the level of crying out for help by shooting people. No reason in the world exists for seven teachers a day to see a despondent child and not find a way to recommend to a parent, or someone in charge, that this student should get checked by a physician.
Helping yourself define your mental stability is all part of Finding Authentic You. Listen, I really need your help to buy my new book (below) and share it with friends. No project in this world launches without a community of people who value its importance. This is why I have made it $2.99 for the download version.
For much more information about finding out about the psychology of the human mind and being your authentic self, self-love, and self-esteem, check out my new book below. “Finding Authentic You” will answer many of the questions I propose above. The book also has many discoveries about health, both mental and physical, as well as spiritual discoveries to lead you to your highest and best! Thanks for being a part of my tribe and helping me make this book be a Bestseller.



Finding Authentic You: With
365 Daily Discoveries & 7 Steps to Effective Change


* Bo Sebastian is a Hypnotherapist and Life & Health Coach, available for private sessions to QUIT SMOKING, Lose Weight, New Lap-Band Hypnosis for Weight Loss, CHANGE YOUR MIND, CHANGE YOUR LIFE! at 615-400-2334 or http://bosebastian.com/Home_Page.php Please feel free to comment and/or sign up to receive your blog sent to you directly or stream with an RSS Feed. Please spread the word by liking the page or sharing this with your friends. 


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