Mental Health and Illness

Depression is a common mental illness that comes in several forms including seasonal depression, clinical (ongoing) depression, and post-pregnancy depression. Everyone feels sad and lost at times, but depression is a long-term illness that can manifest as sadness, emptiness, hopelessness, loss of interest, changes in sleep patterns, and changes in appetite. While many people will dismiss such symptoms with “just look on the bright side” and “why don’t you do something you enjoy? That always makes me feel better” the facts of depression are that it is caused not by behavior but by brain chemistry. While depression may be temporary, that does not mean it wasn’t depression. Many find that the sudden hormonal changes in puberty and pregnancy throw off the chemical balance of their brains and plunge them into depression. Others are depressed because of a specific event or trauma negatively affecting their serotonin levels. And still others are simply biologically bent so that the chemicals that provide feelings of happiness and contentment are lower than they should be.

If you have depression, or think you may have depression, speak with an adult you trust and consider the resources provided and remember that mental illnesses cause your brain to lie to you; there is hope, there is joy, you are not worthless, you are not a burden, things will get better. Whatever the cause, depression, like all mental illnesses, is never the fault of the sick person, it is the product of genetics, brain chemistry, and circumstances.