Are You Depressed?

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Does life have you down? Have you started alienating yourself from your family and friends? Are you screaming, "F--- Da World!" If your answer is yes then chances are you have succumbed to some form of depression. Bob Murray, PhD and Alicia Fortinberry, MS of the Uplift Program state, "Depression is one of the greatest problems and killers of our time." The Centers for Disease Control says that approximately 9% of Americans report that they are depressed (that's approximately 18mil+ Americans). We are living in a time where divorce and unemployment rates are at a high which are contributors to depression. 


Along with increased depression rates comes increased rates of suicide. So as our economy and our families decrease in stability our rates of depression and suicide increase. “Economic problems can impact how people feel about themselves and their futures as well as their relationships with family and friends,” Feijun Luo, an economist in CDC’s Division of Violence Prevention said in a press release. People get consumed in what is going on right now and many see no end to hard times and can't focus on the possibilities of tomorrow. They push away their support systems and are left alone with their own thoughts which is the most dangerous thing one can do during a time of devastation. 


I'm a firm believer of keeping hope and keeping faith. We've all heard the words, "Sometimes you've gotta go through something to get to something" and I'm a firm believer in that as well. Many of us get frustrated and we give up before we make it through the tunnel to see the light. I want to tell you that there is light at the end of that tunnel. Don't give up and don't give in. Fight depression, fight your sadness, and surround yourself with positive people and positive thoughts. I too have been in that statistic of those reportedly depressed, not knowing where the next job, next meal, or even the next place to sleep would come from but I had to learn to Let Go and Let God. Know that whatever your faith may be, troubles don't last always. 


"Yesterday is but a dream, tomorrow is only a vision. But today, well lived, makes every yesterday a dream of happiness, and every tomorrow a vision of hope. Look well, therefore, to this day, for it is life, the very life of life." ~The Sanskrit