This week we were made aware of a celebrity who took his own life for it is believed that he was suffering in silence with his depression.
I for one am appalled that it has taken a death of a celebrity for people to open their eyes to the fact that depression and other mental illness' take lives.
There have been no end of status' and tweets regarding the celebrities death however I personally feel that it is down to 'jumping on the band wagon' a little. By all means mourn the loss of such an inspirational person, however is writing all over Facebook, Twitter etc. actually necessary or is it just a form of gossip and an attempt to gain peoples acceptance in the form of likes, favourites, shares or retweets?? I fear it may be.
I just feel that if it were me that died, whether I be famous or not, I would prefer for people to take time to grieve/mourn properly rather than them posting the tragic news all over the internet as gossip. I can see the thought is there, I just think it would be a little more respectful if all these hundreds of thousands of people didn't make out that they knew him personally and that his death would have a huge impact on their life. Lets face it, your 'mourning' will be over this time next week.
Everybody is entitled to their own opinion right?? This is just mine and I hope people respect that rather than taking offence and starting arguments.
I have seen people change their opinion of depression/mental illness in an instant in this case.
I have suffered with depression for the past 11 years and recently was given the diagnosis of Emotionally Unstable Personality Disorder in which depression is a major symptom. Within the past 11 years I have been called a liar or an attention seeker, been told to 'pull myself together' or 'sort my life out'. and these are just some of the nicer remarks. The same people who called me these names or said these vile things to me are the same ones that are now telling people to open their eyes to mental illness. Hypocritical and purely because somebody in the celeb spotlight has sadly lost their lives due to suffering from this horrendous condition.
In this situation, a lot of people have made out that they understand depression because their aunties, brother in laws, sons, girlfriend had depression once. The thing is, I truly believe that you will never understand depression/mental illness unless you have been a sufferer yourself. I have seen GPs, Psychiatrists, Counsellors etc. who do not understand what it feels like because they haven't experienced it themselves. By all means, read up on the subject and educate yourself, but never imply or think for a second that you 'understand'.
'He ended his life due to loneliness'. So this is a statement floating about on t'interweb. Its metaphorical guys!! This particular celeb wasn't physically alone, he had friends and family as well as a huge fan base. The loneliness came from his depression.
Firstly, depression along with (in my opinion) all other mental illnesses are very lonely illnesses or conditions to have. Each case of mental illness or conditions is completely unique to the person and each case happens for different reasons. Yes, the effect and reasonings behind them may be similar, but there will never be 2 identical cases. Imagine how isolated that would make you feel.
Secondly, mental illness is a massive taboo. Nobody speaks about it openly and without feeling judged or slightly awkward and wary about what they're saying. We hide it; even those who have never experienced any form of it. Imagine being in a situation where you're ill but didn't feel comfortable talking to anybody about it in fear of being judged or that the person you were talking to brushed it off due to a lack of understanding.
Lastly, even if the sufferer was surrounded by people who loved and cared for them, this probably wouldn't change the situation a great deal. Most cases of depression are caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain and therefore medication is needed...not just people. Other cases of depression or mental illness need specific therapy and support which a friend or family member would never be able to give. So lets all stop saying 'if he knew how much his fans loved him, he would never have taken his life' because without the correct help he more than likely would still have taken this extreme measure.
Despite having depression and a mental condition for the majority of my life, I still cannot explain to people exactly how it feels and I cannot predict when my depressive episodes will come on.
Loosely describing mental illness, 'Its like you are walking along a field one day, everything is normal until you trip and fall into a deep, deep hole. The hole is so deep that you are in complete darkness and cannot see the light at the top. Fumbling around, you find what feels like a ladder...but the ladder is broken, all the way to the top. The only way out is to wait until death carries you out or to start to mend the ladder with very little knowledge and no tools or materials. It is next to impossible to climb out'.
Of course it is possible to get out of this rut but it takes time and the right knowledge and tools are needed in the form of professionals, support from friends and family, possibly medication and/or therapy and the strength within themselves.
If you are suffering in silence with what you think may be depression then please speak up. If you cannot speak to a family member or friend then your GP will listen and should hopefully put you on a path which will help you to manage and in the long run return to your usual self.
The Samaritans are great for people who need to speak to somebody in confidence and knowing they will not be judged. You do not have to use your real name and you can tell the call handler as much or as little as you like. They are available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year 08457 90 90 90.
There is a lot of support on the internet, so do your research. It won't take you long before finding something that will provide information to sufferers and also to those who are trying to support a sufferer.
Although talking may not help initially, do not suffer in silence. There is help out there.
I for one am appalled that it has taken a death of a celebrity for people to open their eyes to the fact that depression and other mental illness' take lives.
There have been no end of status' and tweets regarding the celebrities death however I personally feel that it is down to 'jumping on the band wagon' a little. By all means mourn the loss of such an inspirational person, however is writing all over Facebook, Twitter etc. actually necessary or is it just a form of gossip and an attempt to gain peoples acceptance in the form of likes, favourites, shares or retweets?? I fear it may be.
I just feel that if it were me that died, whether I be famous or not, I would prefer for people to take time to grieve/mourn properly rather than them posting the tragic news all over the internet as gossip. I can see the thought is there, I just think it would be a little more respectful if all these hundreds of thousands of people didn't make out that they knew him personally and that his death would have a huge impact on their life. Lets face it, your 'mourning' will be over this time next week.
Everybody is entitled to their own opinion right?? This is just mine and I hope people respect that rather than taking offence and starting arguments.
I have seen people change their opinion of depression/mental illness in an instant in this case.
I have suffered with depression for the past 11 years and recently was given the diagnosis of Emotionally Unstable Personality Disorder in which depression is a major symptom. Within the past 11 years I have been called a liar or an attention seeker, been told to 'pull myself together' or 'sort my life out'. and these are just some of the nicer remarks. The same people who called me these names or said these vile things to me are the same ones that are now telling people to open their eyes to mental illness. Hypocritical and purely because somebody in the celeb spotlight has sadly lost their lives due to suffering from this horrendous condition.
In this situation, a lot of people have made out that they understand depression because their aunties, brother in laws, sons, girlfriend had depression once. The thing is, I truly believe that you will never understand depression/mental illness unless you have been a sufferer yourself. I have seen GPs, Psychiatrists, Counsellors etc. who do not understand what it feels like because they haven't experienced it themselves. By all means, read up on the subject and educate yourself, but never imply or think for a second that you 'understand'.
'He ended his life due to loneliness'. So this is a statement floating about on t'interweb. Its metaphorical guys!! This particular celeb wasn't physically alone, he had friends and family as well as a huge fan base. The loneliness came from his depression.
Firstly, depression along with (in my opinion) all other mental illnesses are very lonely illnesses or conditions to have. Each case of mental illness or conditions is completely unique to the person and each case happens for different reasons. Yes, the effect and reasonings behind them may be similar, but there will never be 2 identical cases. Imagine how isolated that would make you feel.
Secondly, mental illness is a massive taboo. Nobody speaks about it openly and without feeling judged or slightly awkward and wary about what they're saying. We hide it; even those who have never experienced any form of it. Imagine being in a situation where you're ill but didn't feel comfortable talking to anybody about it in fear of being judged or that the person you were talking to brushed it off due to a lack of understanding.
Lastly, even if the sufferer was surrounded by people who loved and cared for them, this probably wouldn't change the situation a great deal. Most cases of depression are caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain and therefore medication is needed...not just people. Other cases of depression or mental illness need specific therapy and support which a friend or family member would never be able to give. So lets all stop saying 'if he knew how much his fans loved him, he would never have taken his life' because without the correct help he more than likely would still have taken this extreme measure.
Despite having depression and a mental condition for the majority of my life, I still cannot explain to people exactly how it feels and I cannot predict when my depressive episodes will come on.
Loosely describing mental illness, 'Its like you are walking along a field one day, everything is normal until you trip and fall into a deep, deep hole. The hole is so deep that you are in complete darkness and cannot see the light at the top. Fumbling around, you find what feels like a ladder...but the ladder is broken, all the way to the top. The only way out is to wait until death carries you out or to start to mend the ladder with very little knowledge and no tools or materials. It is next to impossible to climb out'.
Of course it is possible to get out of this rut but it takes time and the right knowledge and tools are needed in the form of professionals, support from friends and family, possibly medication and/or therapy and the strength within themselves.
If you are suffering in silence with what you think may be depression then please speak up. If you cannot speak to a family member or friend then your GP will listen and should hopefully put you on a path which will help you to manage and in the long run return to your usual self.
The Samaritans are great for people who need to speak to somebody in confidence and knowing they will not be judged. You do not have to use your real name and you can tell the call handler as much or as little as you like. They are available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year 08457 90 90 90.
There is a lot of support on the internet, so do your research. It won't take you long before finding something that will provide information to sufferers and also to those who are trying to support a sufferer.
Although talking may not help initially, do not suffer in silence. There is help out there.
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