Depressions is only a diagnosis

Growing up in a family with generations of mental illness expressing itself in our daily lives was not always the stability that I desired. I recall as a young girl, wondering why my life wasn’t like my friends lives. At the tender age of 14, I attempted suicide for the first time. There would be several more suicide attempts throughout my teenage years into my young adult years before I realized that the world really wasn’t better off without me. I realized that every family endured pain at some point in their lives but didn’t always feel the comfort to express their pain to the outside world. I learned that I had something to OFFER to the world. I had my story, my story of survival.

Having a psychiatric diagnosis does not have to be a secret. Would I keep it a secret from my loved ones if I was diagnosed with diabetes, hypertension, or even cancer? No, I would shout it out from the rooftop that I was scared, that I was feeling alone, and that I needed support! So why was I feeling like I couldn’t share my diagnosis of depression? Depression has so many faces to the one who experiences it. It has the face of an isolated island where you just hope someone happens to drift upon it and notice that the island is actually a beautiful place where one would want to explore. Depression has the face of a volcano, a volcano that stuffs the angry emotions of lava deep inside until the angry lava has no more room to contain the lava and it erupts into tears and self-destruction. Depression also has the face of an angel. An angel that has so much beauty and love to offer, if only someone could see that angel that has been here all along.

I have been so blessed through out my journey with depression. I have been blessed with meeting caring professionals that I loved so deeply that I felt like they were my own family. I have been blessed with meeting some of the most tender-hearted people that I have ever met. I have been blessed with the appreciation for life, and the ability to see the beauty in others. Depression does not have to be ugly. Depression does not have to be an all-enduring disease that can tear you apart. Depression my friends is only a diagnosis, a diagnosis that can be treated, a diagnosis that can bring so much knowledge and JOY. To anyone that is hurting and feel alone, I see you. You are not alone. You have so much to offer. You have YOUR story of survival.