I have been clinically diagnosed with unipolar depression since I was 22, but you wouldn’t know it from looking at me, and, honestly, most of the time, you wouldn’t know it by having a conversation with me either—but it’s there, all day, every day, waiting for its moment to seize my psyche and render me an automaton husk in the shape of my physical self.
The thing is, depression is an invisible illness. It cannot be seen like the flu, a rash, or a broken arm. Saying this is nothing new, yet it appears that we continually forget this fact when it comes to how we approach the treatment of mental health and how we treat those we may suspect or even know to be suffering. Depression is, in many ways, the poster child for this kind of disconnect of treatment, as those without it often underestimate its effects of those who have it. Honestly, ask anyone you know to be a depression sufferer—or anyone you know who used to be—how many times they have had any of the following phrases said to them after admitting to feeling depressed:
- Cheer up; there’s nothing to be so upset over.
- I’m sure you’ll feel better after a good night’s sleep.
- It can’t be that bad.
- You’re just sad; it’ll get better, you’ll see.
And these are just a few of things I, along with millions of others around the world have had to defend a legitimate illness against, simply because it lacks visible symptoms. And, truthfully answering these statements, defending myself against the blasé dismissal of my illness, wouldn’t be so bad if the whole point of it wasn’t to convince other people that I’m sick. Believe me, I would much rather try and convince people that I’m not, and I know that I am not alone in that sentiment.
[To continue reading this article by Alliant International University, please follow https://www.alliant.edu/blog/n...a-personal-relation/ ]
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