The Big Black Dog

So I was surfing through Facebook, mostly avoiding writing (as one does), when I came across this video:

For me, this video does a good job of describing what it’s like to be depressed. It’s not just that you feel down or blue, it’s that sometimes you don’t feel at all. Not happy, not sad, not anything. Depression also has a way of inserting itself into all aspects of your life, getting in between you and the things and/or people you love. Even worse, it’s hard to feel bad about not caring when you don’t feel at all.

He also touches on another important point for me: the social stigma associated with mental illness. Especially in the happy-go-lucky ultra-positive subsets of culture, being depressed is often portrayed as a personal failure, one that results from “not trying hard enough” or some other oversight. News flash: some people physically cannot think themselves happy. Chronic depression is a result of brain chemistry, and cannot be consciously controlled.

I will admit, I have not been formally diagnosed with depression. But I have been diagnosed with ADD, and it is still a significant factor in my day-to-day life. Telling someone with depression to “just cheer up” is just as insulting as telling a kid (or adult) with ADD to “just sit down” and “try harder to concentrate.” I’m not a fan of saying things are impossible, but these dismissive imperatives get pretty darn close.

But as the video says, it’s not all doom and gloom (no pun intended). People with depression are traditionally isolated by their condition, but the Internet has given them a safe way to reach out to others going through similar things. It can be surprisingly encouraging just knowing you don’t suffer alone.

I guess that’s one of the reasons behind this blog, too. It’s an attempt to give voice to the random and often dark musings within my own head, to talk about the things that are still difficult to bring up face-to-face. And I’m not alone in that. A lot more people are talking about these things, and the more we read about it and drag that big, black dog into the open, the more acceptable it becomes, and hopefully the less powerful it becomes.

Until then, remember that the big black dog doesn’t have to run your life. I’ll remind you if you remind me.