Depression

Today is National Depression Screening Day. If you or someone you love are experiencing any symptoms of depression (e.g., feelings of hopelessness, helplessness, and / or emptiness; crying with little provocation; feeling lethargic; changes in the amount of sleep  you get and / or appetite), take this test:

http://www.helpyourselfhelpothers.org/

According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI):

Major depression affects about five to eight percent of the United States' adult population in any 12-month period; which means that, based on the last census, approximately 15 million Americans will have an episode of major depression this year. Depression occurs twice as frequently in women as in men, for reasons that are not fully understood. More than half of those who experience a single episode of depression will continue to have episodes that occur as frequently as once or even twice a year. Without treatment, the frequency as well as the severity of symptoms of depressive illness tend to increase over time.

Once again, if you or someone you care about are suffering from depression, know that there is help available. Just reach out. If you can't do it for yourself, have someone do it for you. Depression is a potentially fatal disease; and thus early detection and proper treatment are imperative.

For more information about depression and treatment, check out the following resources:

National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI): www.nami.org and http://www.nami.org/factsheets/depression_factsheet.pdf

National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH): 

http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/depression/index.shtml

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: http://www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org/
(Suicide hotline:  1.800.273.8255) 

Mayo Clinic: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/depression/DS00175

For Pink Hi-Top Adventures' posts on depression, see:

Notes from the Vortex (2/11/13)
Life (3/7/13)
Lifeline (3/8/13)
Grey veil...again?! (3/16/13)
Overcoming...inertia! (3/19/13)
Can't sleep (4/23/13)
Do the next right thing - part II (4/25/13)
The daily struggle (6/6/13)
Taking down the wall (6/7/13)
Contained emotions (6/13/13)

From Darkness to Light

Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. - Martin Luther King, Jr.

The stigmatization of mental illness (I include addiction here) has persisted in spite of its high prevalence in the general human population. Consider the following data taken from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMSHA) and the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH):

In 2011, almost 50 million American adults (20% of the U.S. population) experienced mental illness; and in 2000, SAMSHA estimated that "...4.6% of the population were dependent on or abused alcohol", and "1.0% of the population were found to be dependent on or abused both alcohol and drugs."

For far too long, mental health and addiction disorders have remained in the shadows of society - leaving those who suffer feeling even more isolated, alone, defective, and helpless than they already feel from their disease.

This blog, as I'd mentioned in previous posts, is part of my continuous pursuit of therapy and personal growth. But the main reason I choose to be so open and candid about my illness is to join others in the recently begun effort to shine light on the darkness - to help remove the stigma and extend light to those suffering alone.

I remain inspired by the prayer of St. Francis of Assisi:

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace;

Where there is hatred, let me sow love;

Where there is injury, pardon;

Where there is doubt, faith;

Where there is despair, hope;

Where there is darkness, light;

Where there is sadness, joy…

Let us all together be a light and shine hope and love onto sadness, fear, and despair.

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References:

http://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/Social/Module1Epidemiology/Module1.html

http://www.nimh.nih.gov/statistics/1ANYANX_ADULT.shtml

http://www.nimh.nih.gov/statistics/1DD_ADULT.shtml

http://www.nimh.nih.gov/statistics/1MDD_ADULT.shtml

...and graph of this data for my addiction class paper: