A Community Comes Together

I think what is most amiable about the mental health community is the way they come together. For example, I reached out to a blog written by a college student with depression  and I received an email from a member of the community. He is the author of the blog Confessions of a Depressed College Student and it really got me thinking about the way the mental health community comes together in times of need.
He revealed his true identity to me (which I will not reveal) because he blogs anonymously, and also thanked me for reaching out to him. He also expressed his sadness for me, because we share the same disease and how some days are harder than others, but he went on to say he was glad to share support with me. He believes we have an unbeatable connection and can use that to share support in each other and make our lives easier.
That really hit home for me, how understanding someone who doesn’t even know me could so easily be there for me, and understand where I am coming from, probably even more so than someone in my own family.
I think what people don’t understand about the pains of depression is the downfall of those suffering, especially in college students. If people who were not mentally ill could understand what could be done for a loved one, it could make the difference in life and death to someone.
Students Against Depression it a blog founded out of the the death of two college aged students who took their lives- this seems to be a trend in the mental illness community. Most organizations are founded because someone lost someone they loved. Students Against Depression have countless students just like me posting on a daily basis about their daily lives. They also have resources for those who feel suicidal, if you are desperate they offer answers and resources for you.

I find it terrible that there are people that are so alone, when at their fingertips is a world of resources, and endless list of people who want to help and listen, and a community of people who feel exactly the same. Where is the missed connection?

It’s in the education. In high school they teach you to say no to drugs and alcohol but they never really teach you how to cope with mental illness. They don’t teach you to talk to someone who is depressed, they don’t show the signs of someone being suicidal, and then, sadly nobody cares or knows until it’s too late. At the conclusion of Suicide Prevention Week To Write Love On Her Arms posted a blog post about how the conversation must go on beyond the seven days dedicated to awareness. We should always be aware of the ones we love, and as someone in the depression community I think we also need to work together to form alliances and friendships with one another, and be there for each other, because we are the ones who understand better than anyone. There are organizations like Project Helping is founded by people with mental illness and hopes to bring awareness and remove stigma. These are the biggest downfalls of the community to those looking in from the outside. You Can Not Be Replaced is an organization that travels the country and goes to schools to teach students that they are worth something, and, of course they cannot be replaced. When your suffering ends in suicide, everyone else suffers for a lifetime because they could not help you or understand. There is no coming back from it, and that’s the biggest challenge of them all.
I challenge the community to come together, and my eyes are open to these issues. I will continue to advocate and educate people about depression and maybe it could save someone’s life one day.

Expanding the Suicide Prevention Conversation

Since this week is Suicide Prevention Week, I figured to wrap up this week’s posting I would find some more information on organizations who are doing big things for those who are feeling depressed or suicidal. One organization I found was The Trevor Project

The Trevor Project was founded in 1988, and aims to help the LGBTQ, as well as the heterosexual community combat the crippling effects of depression. The Trevor Project offers many resources for those who are suicidal. You don’t have to be LGBTQ in order to reach out to them. In fact, they hope to educate the entire community on suicide awareness, because it happens to everyone. Not only can you learn more about suicide prevention from them, but get involved in the movement, in the form of volunteering your time, or making a donation, no matter how small. The Trevor Project wants people to know they are there for them 24/7, and they offer a chat service, a hotline and even text messaging services to talk to those who are in need. They want you to feel like there’s no shame in what you’re going through, because there isn’t!

So, in the grand scheme of things, what is the community working towards, and how we can we learn to help people more effectively? The Trevor Project aims for a few things. People need the education, so they hope to bring programs into schools, not just colleges but high schools and middle schools too. Being a teenager is probably one of the most turbulent times in your life, and suicide is the second biggest killer  of people between the age of 15-24. With education, people will learn how to talk to a friend with depression, and those with depression will feel that they can talk because it’s nothing to be ashamed of.

The biggest thing that we face is the stigma. Suicide is at an all time high in this country, more than half the suicides committed in the world have happened right here in the US. The culture is changing, but we have to actively change it everyday. Below is an article I think that offers some better insight to what stigma is doing to the mental health community, and also how we are breaking down those walls.
“It’s Time To Remove the Mental Health Stigma” [Read Here]
Ultimately, wrapping up this week, the rest of the month is also dedicated to suicide prevention, and I hope to keep the conversation going. People need to realize there are a plethora of resources for them. You can call at hotline, you can text a friend, you can tell your mom- someone will understand and someone will be there. Educating youth about suicide prevention is key to it not being a problem in the future, nobody should feel so badly about themselves that they want to die. This is why awareness matters, and this is why we should all actively try to be more understanding.

Sending Silence Packing

Tuesday I was walking to class, but I noticed something out of the ordinary. Upon further investigation, I noticed a field of backpacks strewn across Woodburn Circle. 1,100 backpacks laid silent to show the 1,100 students who have committed suicide in the last year. A very moving exhibit to say the least. Just what was happening though?

Active Minds travels to college campuses across the country with their 1,100 backpack display. On some of the backpacks there are stories of some of the people who have taken their lives, but a silent backpack for some reason spoke 1,000 words to me.

Above is a photo of a display of Send Silence Packing.

 

I had never heard of Active Minds before, but as someone who advocates pretty heavily for depression, I found they were founded by a girl who’s brother committed suicide. Her goal with the organization was to remove the stigma from talking about mental illness, and make sure people kept an active conversation about reaching out to someone they think needed help. Not everyone is so vocal about their depression. Some people stew in their sadness until they feel they can no longer go on. Nobody should feel that way, because there is nothing wrong with being depressed, and people should reach out to their loved ones. Active Minds hopes to inspire in students and others the the want to be there for those you love.

A photo of Active Minds display on the West Virginia University campus, credit to wdtv.

Alongside the Active Minds display, there were several tables set up for people to get the conversation going. I talked to some girls in the Psychology Club, who offered me information on counseling centers. There were people from the campus counseling office as well. Also, there were other clubs who came together to spread the word and awareness of depression to people who may not know, or even understand it.

Through Active Minds I became inspired. I realize that many college students just like me are experiencing things I experience. I think many people who saw this display on campus may have walked up to those backpacks and for the first time realized they were not alone in their fight against their depression. Depression is not the enemy of so many, rather it’s the stigma associated with it.

To learn more about Active Minds to go their website  http://www.activeminds.org

 

Celebrating National Suicide Prevention Week

It’s apparent that being a 20 something in this day and age isn’t the easiest thing. Millennials, for some reason, are one of the most conflicted groups of people. Maybe it’s our generation and what we have been subjected to?  We spend a lot of time plugged in and tuned out. We are constantly on the go, worried about tomorrow, when we should probably be worried about today. Suicide statistics of 20 somethings are some of the highest. In fact among people ages 24-34 it is the second leading cause of death, and third leading cause of people 15-24. According to a study done on Emory University’s campus, there is higher risk for college students to commit suicide for a number of reasons. Adjusting to a new environment, alongside the pressures of academic life can become overwhelming for a teenager or a young adult. Depression, however, is a fairly treatable condition, 18.8 million people in the US suffer from depression, so it is not uncommon. However, only about 25% of people with depression will seek some sort of help, and sadly because of this suicide rates seem to stay higher in college aged kids.

How can we prevent this?

To Write Love on Her Arms is currently celebrating Suicide Prevention Week, and hoping to bring awareness to the staggering amount of people who have taken their lives. The campaign has taken the internet by storm, people wearing shirts that say “And So I Kept Living” alongside people holding up signs on their Instagram or Facebook, thousands of people are a part of this movement. Suicide Prevention Week started on September 5th, and will go on until September 11th. TWLOHA is also raising money for Suicide Prevention Week and will donate it toward treatment and recovery of depression.

So, how can you get involved?

 

It’s not as hard as you might think to help someone out. Awareness is the first step. Posting this above graphic to your Facebook or Instagram and hashtagging #IKeptLiving & #WSPD16 can keep the conversation going. Everyday To Write Love On Her Arms will post ways to help, reach out, and prevent another person from taking their life.

Understanding is key, and being there for someone isn’t as hard as people might think. Being depressed is hard, but being a friend is easy. Keep the conversation going. It could save someone’s life.

 

Check out https://twloha.com/, and learn more about their mission and their message.

Blogs I follow (And you Should too)

On this page you’ll find a blog roll of 10 blogs I am following, well, let me explain why…

A Beautiful Revolution (http://www.abeautifulrevolution.com/)

This Blog was founded by a artist with depression. Alongside discussing how depression influences art, and vice versa, you get to see some pretty sweet artwork.

Beyond Meds (beyondmeds.com)

This blog is helpful because it offers alternative advice as far as dealing with depression beyond filling a month prescription. You can get advice about holistic medicine and more.

Confessions of a Depressed College Student (https://depressedcollegestudent.wordpress.com/)

Pretty self explanatory and hits pretty close to home. This blog is similar to mine in that it is meant to help those with depression cope and those without to understand.

Daisies and Bruises (http://daisiesandbruises.com/)

A blog started by a girl named Erin, and one of the best depression blogs of the year, Daisies and Bruises is the story many with depression never tell. Erin allows others to go on her journey of mental health.

Depression Marathon (http://depressionmarathon.blogspot.com/)

A marathon runner with depression shares her experiences. A different take on the depression epidemic, using running as a coping method.

Pick the Brain (http://www.pickthebrain.com/blog/)

Pick the Brain is a self help blog, not simply about depression. It offers tips to better mental and physical help, such as exercise plans, or places that you can visit to make you feel better.

Students Against Depression (http://studentsagainstdepression.org/student-blogs/)

A blog started after two college aged guys committed suicide, Students Against Depression hopes to bring awareness to college students who are suffering. A site by students and for students, and another one that hits close to home.

This is a Depression Blog (https://thisisadepressionblog.wordpress.com/)

The title speaks for itself, however another blog by a 20 something trying to figure things out for herself. This blog is reminiscent to the freshly out of college student who isn’t quite sure where they’re headed in life (and newsflash, that’s ok)

Time to Change (http://www.time-to-change.org.uk/category/blog/depression)

This blog is not saying it’s time for people with depression to change, but rather change the stigma surrounding mental illness. This blog hopes to educate people who don’t know much about depression, and lift the judgement people with depression face.

and one of my all time favorites…

 

To Write Love on Her Arms (https://twloha.com/blog/)

Since 2006 I’ve been following TWLOHA, and have empathized with their message. As someone who has sufffered from depression for an extended period of time, TWLOHA has been there through a lot of it. Their mission is to help those with depression understand themselves, and let people know they are not alone in their fight with mental illness.

 

 

These are my top 10 blogs, and I’m sure there are more out there, but these are worth a follow!

A Brief Intro

Mental health is important to the function of anyone’s daily life. So what happens when someone is suffering from depression or anxiety? It’s important to understand the sickness if you are diagnosed or simply if you have a friend with one of these conditions. As someone who has suffered from depression and knowing others who have too, it’s important to know that there are ways to feel better and help others feel better too. The stigma of depression and anxiety is dwindling rapidly in our society. Studying journalism, I find it important to discuss things rarely discussed and to put a face to issues people would rather ignore. I would hope this blog would help others in a time of need.

Aside from depression being in someone’s everyday life I think it’s important to look at depression in pop culture. The way it is talked about in movies, music, and TV. As much as people try to remove the stigma of depression, I think it also is not so easily explored or talked about. There is a difference between being sad and being depressed, alongside other mental illnesses, such as anxiety, or eating disorders. Exploring the way we are introduced to these things can also help others understand a person suffering from depression. Overall, it’s imperative to know yourself mentally, and to help understand others. Depression and other mental illness is not the end of the world, and hopefully writing about it people may  be able to understand it better.