Depression as a journey? Isn’t depression something you suffer from and then get better? Maybe, but all mental illnesses are so complex and often difficult to even nearly impossible to manage or cure that I think it’s better to think of it as a journey: something to be enjoyed, worked through and experienced.
I started my most recent depression experience after a bad fall in a very confined space, it took me about 10 minutes to be able to get out and since then I’ve had claustrophobic panic episodes. (Note I don’t call them panic attacks, that implies they are something to be fought – combated with aggression – and that simply does not, cannot, work). After being bounced around the mental health system for a few months getting no treatment at all I started to experience severe generalised anxiety, mood swings and depression. After being on a couple of anti-depressants my GP and I found one that seems to be helpful and I started getting counselling. I’ve seen my counsellor 4 times as I write this and panic attacks have reduce and I’ve started to be able to go outside again. Severe mood swings and suicidal thoughts have reduced, still there in the background but manageable – I hope!
I started this blog to remind me of what I’ve experienced, and how I’ve come through it; to inspire me when I hit rough spots; and to help others experiencing the same sort of things I am.
Nathan
