i have depression.
I have depression. This does not mean that I am weak. This does not mean that I am an attention-seeker. This does not mean that I am not capable of normal functioning. This is not an easy thing to disclose when it should be. I’m not writing about it because I need to talk. I’m not writing about it for attention or for something to explain away my irrationality, my laziness, my moodiness. I’m writing about it because more people need to. The term ‘depression’ is too often used out of context, too often used to explain away a moment of irritation or of flatness. Being sad does not amount to depression. It’s an illness. Not an emotion. It should not bear stigma, yet it does.
I.
Depression is an illness. It does not always have a trigger. There are not always problems to solve (which makes it that much harder to work out of). The sadness (stillness) arrives without warning. It’s a heaviness in everything you do. It’s the feeling of bearing great grief when you are not grieving.
II.
Alternately, it is a feeling of numbness. It is slipping through a curtain of dark water. My first bout of depression was empowering in that I, a fearful teenager, felt suddenly fearless. The dark, being out late by myself, noises when the house was empty no longer bothered me.
III.
Depression comes in waves, often when you are alone. That’s why it’s easy to hide. When you’re busy, with people, out in the sunshine, the tide often draws back a little.
IV.
You know the feeling of waking up in the morning and realising you have the funeral of a loved one? Realising that this is the day you’re to undergo a risky surgical procedure? Imagine waking up with that feeling, that sick, curdling need for stillness with no reason to explain it away.
V.
Some days breathing is an effort. Every breath is a little shock to the system, a little jag of adrenaline. These days, when breathing tires you out, are the days it’s so hard to get going.
VI.
Depression is not a sign of weakness. Depression feeds on silence and is suffered in silence. Stand up for it. If you have depression, let people know.
VII.
By Eliza-Jane Henry-Jones
Thanks Eliza. It’s interesting to know a little bit more and you’re right, more people need to start talking about it and sharing their experiences to break down the social barrier of all mental illnesses.
beautifully written
I love this so much. Thank you for this piece! I think you should write more about this topic or develop this article more if you can, it’s absolutely fascinating.
This is a great piece, Eliza-Jane, and I think the format that you’ve chosen to convey it in is so perfect for an internet medium too. You’ve done a wonderful job with outlining a lot of misconceptions about one of the most common forms of mental illness and hopefully you’ve changed a few people’s perspective on it too. Beautiful work.
Thank you! 🙂 🙂
The thing I really love about this article is that it goes beyond most pieces I read about mental illness generally – they all talk about the facts, and they repeat each other to the extent to which I could probably write it myself now, without research. The formula goes: ‘depression is really common, [insert case study], go see your GP’.
This article is original, it takes a very well tredded topic in a fresh and really geniuine way. It doesn’t read like a formula or a pamphlete. I feel like I’ve actually learned something.