Since I started talking about my depression I’ve had several people contact me with similar stories.
I am depressed, but I  can’t tell anyone.

Okay. Let’s talk about that. 

I have never had anyone recoil in fear when I have mentioned my depression. To my knowledge nobody believes I have cooties. At least not depression cooties. I have never been warded off as damaged or diseased. 

The stigma attached to depression, or any mental disorder is largely perpetuated by the people suffering from the disorder. We fear. 

We are afraid of the reaction, we are afraid of being ostracized, we are afraid we will be dismissed. 
We are afraid if we say it out loud, it will be real.

There are steps you can take to slowly remove the fear.

First, realize a few things. Everyone, I mean everyone, experiences depression at some point in their lives. The vast majority are able to cook out of it. Some of us aren’t. 

At any given time in the US roughly 9.5% of the population, 18.8 million people, have some form of depressive disorder. Rates are higher among women than men.

The majority of them, 80%, will not get the treatment they need, and that rate is as high as 92% among African-American males. 

That is partly because 54% of people suffering from depressive disorders believe that it is a personal weakness. It is not. We judge ourselves before the rest of the world can.

Now, take yourself out of that majority that doesn’t get treatment. 

I cannot stress this enough…DO NOT SELF DIAGNOSE! If you do that, you stay in your own head and you miss that important step of talking about depression out loud with another person. Make an appointment with a doctor and tell them what is going on. They will not laugh at you, they will not dismiss you. They will not lock you away. 

You will likely be presented with medical options. Be open to that. Depression is a downhill snowball which does affect brain chemistry,  and that has to be dealt with before anything can change. 

Now at least one other person knows.

Next, you should see a cognitive therapist. I have found this absolutely essential. If you can’t afford it, look for low income programs. They are still out there. 

While the medication acts on brain chemistry, it does nothing for the thought patterns that keep the depression alive. Those must be handled through cognitive therapy.

You have a diagnosis, and concrete steps are being taken to pull yourself out of the pit. Now you can get that support system in place.

You have a lot of people around you. More than you know. And you already have an idea who the easiest person to talk to might be. Pick a time and just tell them. It’s not easy, I’ll grant you that. 

Not until you’ve said the words. That’s the hardest part. 

After that you’ll be surprised how easy it can be. Hell, if you need to, message me. I’ll be the first person you tell, and I am sure as hell not going to judge you.

You are not alone. You don’t have to behave as if you are.