Depression
Depression is a horrible thing. Speaking from personal experience I can tell you that right there and then you believe that no one in the world understands what you are feeling or going through and that no one will ever have a chance of helping you come back to a more stable state of mind.
The World Health Organisation have been able to come up a worldwide comparative survey and found that an average of 3.2% of people had experienced over a one year period. There were 245,404 adults surveyed from 60 different countries.
Asthma, arthritis, diabetes and angina also scored high in the survey but it was depression that was the most startling discovery and apparently the hardest ailment to bear. They based their results on a quality of life index and found that respondents with no chronic diseases scored 90.6 on the 1-100 scale. Those suffering from depression scored, on average, 72.9.
I don’t believe we take depression as seriously as we should because most of the time when we hear of it in celebrity circles; we see people with vast lifestyles and bank balances and wonder what they have to be depressed about.
Why I believe it should be consider a disease that needs attention is because it can hit anyone at any time, it is a not a disease that cares who it takes just as long as it takes them.To feel that bad about oneself and that you perceive your life to be worthless and that no one does care or should care about you is frightening. However when you are down like that it is difficult to just ‘snap out of it’ or to look at the ‘glass as half full’.
In addition to my other numerous acquaintances, I have one more intimate confidant . . . My depression is the most faithful mistress I have known - no wonder, then, that I return the love.
Soren Kierkegaard (1813 - 1855)
We are all under some form of pressure. To be thin, to be liked, to be fit, to be in the right relationship, to be in the right job. It’s not just adults either. Recent figures from America have shown that in 1990 the suicide rate for 10-24 year-olds was 9.48 per 100,000 people; in 2003 it fell to 6.78 per 100,000 people; in 2004 it rose to 7.32 per 100,000 people.
Saturday, September 8th, 2007 and is filed under Pain and suffering, Thoughts & Questions, Views on News.
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eamonn Says:
Depression is an unspoken evil in irish guys today.myself and a few of my friends have all suffered from it in recent times.friends want to ignore it,doctors want to fill you with drugs,family want to do something but dont know what.only God it seems,if slowly,is the only one that seems to do much good.
September 9th, 2007 at 1:52 am
Ann Says:
Thank God we’ve come a long way from the time when the word depression was muttered in lowered tones as if some shame were attached. However, we’re not there yet, which is why I wholeheartedly welcome discussion on this subject - the more it’s talked about, the less ignorance there will be. Two close friends of mine know all about depression and one thing I know is that they don’t go about looking for sympathy but they do appreciate our understanding and prayer.
September 9th, 2007 at 1:32 pm
eamonn Says:
well said Ann.they don not indeed go looking for sympathy but they do appreciate it when we give it to them and pray for them.1 of my friends,whos been in hospital with it,has a really strong faith and this has brought him through the toughest of times.
if more people talk about it openly then more people might become aware of the signs of it and thus be able to help loved ones who may have it.
September 11th, 2007 at 12:16 am
Frances Says:
Jesus healed and we dont hear enough about the Lord and His healing ministry in the Church anymore, but He heals the deepest wounds in our hearts. We need to listen to each other, to pay attention, to love one another as Jesus asked of us. But in a fallen world this doesnt happen to everybody. Jesus can heal everything. We need to know our sense of being that is in Christ. He loves us and He died for us. I just pray that the Church begins to open up to the Healing Ministry in a deeper way and begins to recognise that yes there are people out there who need prayer into issues that are very painful and very deep. There is hope and it lies in Jesus.
September 25th, 2007 at 11:06 pm
Mary fazey Says:
the mind is so comlex when we worry excessivly we car/nt explain what we really feel and when we try to explain to others they all have a different perspective generally this makes us tired mentally exhausted pray for me I like that todayfeel
November 6th, 2007 at 10:44 am