Betty was suffering from depression for years. Last December
she was admitted to a psychiatric ward for two weeks during her freshman year
of high school. She used to always be extremely emotional about everything and
feared for her life daily; she also had frequent screaming outburst at her
parents and siblings. She went through months and months of therapy and is now
on medication for depression and anxiety. The yelling has calmed down, but she
still has the occasional outburst and it can be over the smallest of things. Now
that she is on medication, she does not fear for her life daily and can go
about her usual activities on most days. To make sure her medication is working
properly and she is doing okay, she regularly goes to counseling sessions.
Before she was diagnosed with depression and anxiety, she did not know what was
going on in her life or why she felt the way that she did and not one of her
friends or a single family member knew what was going on with her. I have
learned that depression and anxiety is a serious condition that cannot just be
brushed off and ignored and that she is going to be okay now that she is
getting treated. Betty now seems like a completely different person and
everyone around her is noticing the positive change as well.
Depression is a scary situation. In Betty’s case, she was so young and suffering from a mental illness that is many of times overlooked. The saying “don’t judge a book by its cover” is absolutely true because we never know what is going on in other people’s lives or what feelings they may be experiencing. I always try to remind myself of that. I am glad she is doing well.
ReplyDeleteBrandie,
ReplyDeleteThanks for your share. I think Betty is responsible and courageous for taking charge of her mental health. Where I work, I see untreated mental health conditions daily. I have seen people when on meds and watched them degrade without them. The difference is like night and day. A lot of times people will refuse to take their medications because of pride or shame. They act as if getting help makes them weak. I always tell them that if there is no shame in having diabetes and taking insulin, there should be no shame in getting treatment for depression.
Yeah for Betty.
Sincerely,
Melissa Lewis