A year ago, I went through an intensive outpatient program (IOP) because I was having suicidal ideations. I wrote a series of posts at the time chronicling my journey. When I realized that was a whole year ago, it got me thinking, and I figured I’d share my thoughts. The first thing is that the…
I have Major Depressive Disorder. I have also been the primary caregiver for someone with depression. So, when I ran into this article, How to support someone with depression | Psyche Guides by Emma Cotterill, I was doubly interested. If it was a good guide, I wanted to help get the word out. And it…
You ever have one of those days? Well, I had one today. I really didn’t feel like posting anything today, but blowing my streak on the fourth day of the month would make me feel even worse. So, what made it a lousy day? It’s hard to explain. I did get a terrible night’s sleep…
For the first time in my life, I don’t feel safe. There have been times before when I was in danger. I’ve been in two car accidents. I’ve been in blizzards and hurricanes. But this is different. Those dangers were external. They weren’t a part of me. This feeling is internal and feels deeply personal….
Pennsylvania senator, John Fetterman, recently spent six weeks in the hospital battling depression. He is finally feeling better and now he’s talking about his experience. He did an interview with NPR about his depression and recovery, John Fetterman speaks about depression after returning to the Senate : NPR. I’m sorry that Fetterman had to go…
Yesterday, I wrote about how depression puts people at higher risk for severe covid. Today I want to talk about another problem with covid. Apparently, covid can cause depression. “[O]ver half of a U.S. COVID-19 survivor sample reported symptoms of depression months after recovery, those with more severe COVID symptoms being more likely to have depression.” They…
I recently heard that depression is a risk factor for covid. It was actually in a commercial. In the commercial, a bunch of celebrities with various risk factors were telling people with those risk factors to be extra careful. It surprised me. I have depression, but never thought it put me at higher risk for…
For those who don’t know, back in April, I had a major depressive episode. I was miserable. For a few weeks, my best days consisted of getting out of bed before noon and eating something before curling up on the couch for the rest of the day. I often struggled getting myself back upstairs to…
It’s often embarrassing to have depression. And I’m not talking about the internalized stigma around mental illness. A lot of things that would be embarrassing without depression are much more likely to occur with depression. Depression affects sleep and appetite and saps your energy. As a result, it’s just harder to take care of yourself….
A study came out last week that dealt “A Decisive Blow to the Serotonin Hypothesis of Depression.” It’s all anyone in the mental health world seems to be able to talk about. Some people are incredulous, wondering how this could have happened. Others are angry that they were ever prescribed medication for depression in the…
