First of all...
DISCLAIMER: The information in this post is not in any way aimed to serve as a substitute for actual, hands-on medical care. I do not claim to be an expert, just sharing from personal experience.
Now...
This past month has been CRAZY...pun intended. For the past few weeks I've been on my Psychiatry rotation and my my my...Now my using the word "crazy" is in no way intended to make light of the issues so many are suffering with daily. I remember hearing my elders say "Thanks to the Lord I'm clothed and in my right mind" but kinda blew it off. Don't act like you didn't too, you know old folks STAY coming up with some kinda saying! LOL...It wasn't until I was an adult that I realized that was scriptural.
It is heartbreaking to see the sad, desolate reality that SO many human beings live through daily. Now we see a wide variety of Psychiatric illness but the one we see most often is depression. Depression is something that I can talk about from first-hand experience. From 2004-2005 I was fighting my own battle. When it first began I remember feeling so empty...so alone...lacking any sense of motivation and being confused because I had "no reason" to be unhappy. I was deeply in love, had (and still have) and AMAZING family, and I had NO BILLS! I couldn't figure out what in the world I was upset about. My now husband felt helpless and so did I. I was crying all the time and having to literally FORCE myself to even take a shower. I can clearly remember asking myself time and time again, "But why??" Well that's just it, depression can be situational (illness, death of a loved one, financial problems, etc.) but oftentimes there are other contributing factors including but not limited to
Alcohol/Drug Abuse
Genetics
Thyroid Dysfunction
Chemical imbalances in the brain
Certain medications
Depression and mental illness as a whole are very real and they are taking over and ruining lives everyday. For some, it's a matter of ignorance...they don't realize anything is wrong; for others it's a matter of stubbornness. Think about it, if you have diabetes you treat it right? What about high blood pressure? Oh and an all time favorite: back pain (people love those "tabs") but don't want to treat mental illness!!! Stop it!! Now, I'm an Osteopathic Physician so I have to say (fellow D.O.'s say it with me):
'THE BODY IS A UNIT'
What this means is, mind, body and spirit interconnect and all are governed by the other. Mental health is essential for physical health as is spiritual health. If your brain isn't working in optimum condition, neither will your body. In case there is anyone reading who is unaware of what depression looks like let me lay that out on the table now. You see, it's not just "feeling sad". Depression is not wanting to do those things that use to bring you joy, sleeping too much or too little, changes in appetite, loss of sex drive, fatigue/lack of energy, difficulty concentrating, irritability, unexplained and often vague body aches...see, not just "feeling sad".
I sit day after day and listen to the my patients, most of which don't seek help until they are hanging on by a thread. Please don't wait for that...please don't suffer in silence because you're afraid of what others may say, or afraid of "feeling crazy", etc. If you start having feelings of worthlessness and hopelessness; feelings of harming yourself or others SEEK HELP. While I believe prayer and meditation are essential to healing don't stop there, as I said, SEEK HELP. Reach out to someone! You can call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255), just call someone you trust. Never forget your worth- God loves you and I do too :-)
There is counseling and medication available to help get your life back...I praise God everyday that I did. So yes, flowing from my heart is gratefulness indeed!
Until next time,
DivaDoc OUT!
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