Staff writer Dominique Campbell explores the causes of depression
By: DOMINIQUE CAMPBELL
Staff Manager
Depression is defined as feeling down, sad, blue or down in the dumps for long periods of time. Most people experience those emotions but only for a short period of time. According to http://DoSomething.org, 350 million people suffer from depression worldwide. It is also the most common mental illness that people suffer from. Some of the causes of depression include traumatic life events, social isolation and alcohol/drug abuse. Believe it or not, depression is a disease just like any other. There are symptoms that accompany the disease. Some of the symptoms of depression are low/irritable mood, low self-esteem, loss of pleasure in activities that you enjoy, trouble sleeping and feeling helpless or hopeless.
As I sit at my computer, I am one of those 350 million people who have suffered and still suffer from depression. Depression often hits you when you least expect it. It can hit you like a ton of bricks. I’ve struggled with it for about 4••• years now. It was the summer of 2010. I had been dating this guy for a while and I had gotten pregnant.
According to the Mayo Clinic, one of the causes of depression is a traumatic life experience – long story short, my traumatic event that sparked my depression was when I miscarried my baby at 11 weeks, two weeks before the fall semester was going to start. I remember being told by my doctor to rest for a few weeks, which I didn’t. I rested long enough to get up and halfway drag my butt to class. Every day I would come back to my apartment and I’d just lie in bed. My phone would ring and it would be somebody calling to check on me and I simply wouldn’t answer. I had withdrawn from reality and from everyone. I began to drink almost every weekend with my friends. I wouldn’t drink just a little, I would drink enough to pass out or just to get drunk to numb the pain away. I followed that cycle until right after I turned 25.
As you realize you need help and your life is spiraling out of control you begin to seek help. After I turned 25, not being where I wanted to be made it worse. I talked to someone in the student health services and they guided me to a therapist that would be able to help me. I began seeing my therapist every week. A month into our sessions, she prescribed Zoloft. I began taking my anti-depressant medication in combination with my therapy sessions and I was able to dig out. Honestly, it took me until about the beginning of 2012 to begin to feel better and begin to work to get my happiness back. During the time I worked really hard on my depression I didn’t date anyone or have healthy social relationships.
There is happiness and peace that can be found through getting help. It took me years to feel comfortable enough to share with people that even though I smile, I struggle with depression. I’m not always happy-go-lucky. There are people that struggle. A lot of times they suffer in silence in fear of judgment or a stigma being attached to them. It’s okay to say you’re not okay. It’s okay to say “Hey, I need help.” Since I came to that conclusion that I was so miserable with my life that I thought of harming myself, I knew some changes needed to be made. I am now able to handle and forge healthy social relationships. I haven’t had to take an anti-depressant since the summer of 2012. If you’re struggling, take those steps to get in contact with someone. Don’t let the stigma of what people think depression is prevent you from getting the help you need. There is light at the end of the tunnel. You can and you will get through it.
