Code Phrases For Depression-I can remember, even as a young man, learning to adopt some of the "code phrases/words" for an explanation of how I felt. This was years before I discovered that there were already clinical descriptions of my illness being used by the medical community. Some of my favorite descriptors for depression were: "I'm so low I could do a 10 minute free-fall off the edge of a dime." "I've been down so long, it looks like up to me." "I'm as low as a snake's belly." And there were others, some of which I've forgotten.
The interesting thing about this period of my life was that I was walking around with full-blown depression and didn't even know it. Millions of people suffer from depression and they are never treated simply because they don't know what their problem truly is. It may well be one of the most under-treated diseases in society.
In my case, I can remember having "black thoughts" and moodiness as early as 15. My best guess is that I probably had a problem before then. This may surprise you, but I was not formally diagnosed as having chronic clinical depression until I was 38 years old. So, for 23 years I didn't receive any help with my illness. Unfortunately, the help I did get worsened the problem.
I want to end today's blog by urging you to read everything that you can get your hands on about depression. You will soon learn that some books are helpful and informative, and some are not. With this illness (and probably any other), you have to remember that Knowledge Is Power. You have to educate yourself because sometimes you will have to educate your medical professional.
["I'm so low, I could do a ten minute freefall off the edge of a dime."]
The interesting thing about this period of my life was that I was walking around with full-blown depression and didn't even know it. Millions of people suffer from depression and they are never treated simply because they don't know what their problem truly is. It may well be one of the most under-treated diseases in society.
In my case, I can remember having "black thoughts" and moodiness as early as 15. My best guess is that I probably had a problem before then. This may surprise you, but I was not formally diagnosed as having chronic clinical depression until I was 38 years old. So, for 23 years I didn't receive any help with my illness. Unfortunately, the help I did get worsened the problem.
I want to end today's blog by urging you to read everything that you can get your hands on about depression. You will soon learn that some books are helpful and informative, and some are not. With this illness (and probably any other), you have to remember that Knowledge Is Power. You have to educate yourself because sometimes you will have to educate your medical professional.
["I'm so low, I could do a ten minute freefall off the edge of a dime."]
