Over the years, my moms custody issue and everything else that was going on in her life started to blow over or at least settle down a bit. She noticed that while she was lost in her mess, I had become my own.
My mom noticed that my pills were untouched and that I was acting different. I was a past image, like a déjà vu. My mom knew that the sooner all of this was taken care of, the sooner we could go back
to being a happy family. I wasn’t going to put up a fight, I wanted help.

I started with my medication but this time once I started to feel better, I kept taking them. I tried therapy again too but had a bad experience with a counselor trying to shove Jesus down my throat and I never went back. I started to feel better, lighter than the darkness
I was cast under. I felt like I had finally come out from the deep, twisted burrow I was shoved in.
I felt weird; I couldn’t say I felt normal because I didn’t. I was just whatever, but whatever was just fine with me.

I remember going through my depression but never under- standing what it was fully. Depression is a common but serious illness that can interfere with
daily life and normal functioning. Depression is painful for both the people dealing with it and those that care for them. Experts believe depression is caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain. Monoamines—mood-related chemicals such as serotonin, norepinephrine and dopamine—aren’t produced enough in the brain to give that person a sense of happiness, hope and wellbeing.
During a major depressive episode, these chemicals are low in the brain. When this happens, feeling of hopelessness and emptiness can become present. You lose joy in the things you used to find interesting or have trouble concentrating on things. Laziness, irritability, restlessness, over- sleeping or having trouble sleeping are some signs of depression.

Marla Steckwren, an Associate Clinical Social Worker for the past five years says she believes that these set of symptoms that interfere with daily life can be treated, suppressed and even overcome with the right treatment plan. The right treatment plan should be suited to individual needs. The two most common depressive disorders are Chronic Depression, where symptoms are severe enough to disable or prevent a person from functioning normally, and Dysthymic Disorder, which is less severe than Chronic Depression but still includes some of the symptoms that may prevent someone from feeling well.

Tags: depression, spotlight