Depression is weird because sometimes you know you feel depressed and sometimes you don’t. When you don’t, you wonder whether you really are and just don’t realize it. When you do, you don’t give a big rip, about that or much of anything else, like brushing your teeth or combing your hair. Why did I pick such a joyful subject?To remember, I guess.
There are a lot of definitions of depression. I’ve heard that it’s the time when you feel like you have no control. I’ve heard that if you take a step in any direction you can relieve it. I believe that could be crap because depressed people are not likely to take steps without help, chemical or counseling, or both. If the help is chemical, get ready, you’re on it for at least six months. You may not want to be, but you may find when all is said and done, that you needed to be.
Once a depressed person accepts help, they’re back towondering whether their depression is over, or just masked. It’s a bit of a Catch 22. However, it isn’t insurmountable. Prayer and the Psalms are as important as chemistry and counseling, maybe more. Writing a psalm in your own words allowsyou and God to think over your circumstances. Prayer before that may not even happen, but after the writing the depressed person has an inkling of what the issues are, and therefore what to talk to God about. Once God directs, you can begin to crawl out of the pit however He indicates. That is what I know so far. Sorry about the words that run together. My computer is nuts. It’s not me, honest.
One of my many faults is that I don’t know how to relate to people who get depressed. My dad told me, “You hear people talk about having a bad day? I’ve never had a bad day.” I’m not as consistently upbeat as he was, but I don’t think I’ve ever felt depressed.
Dave, I think the way to relate to a close friend who is depressed is to to listen and reflect. But mostly listen. My feeling is that depression is on a scale, like autism. When the numbers are low, we can overcome it, and probably not even call it depression. But when life stacks negative stuff or tragedies in a short time span, and we begin to question whether we even know what we know, then the numbers are higher. However, we still may not identify it as depression unless a medical person happens to catch us at the right time. Thanks for your comment. Helped me think depression through a little more.