If a Person is Depressed and is Afraid to Seek Help…

At my job, people file for disability claims. Without going into details due to HIPAA regulations, I can only say that the claims I encountered have individuals suffered from depression because they could not do the things they want to do in their life. They want to be productive members of society and thus actually don’t really want to file.

There are 300 million people worldwide suffered from depression of all types. Within the depression types, Major Depressive Disorder accounts for 6.7% of the United States population between ages 15 to 44, or 16.1 million people. Among the ones who are depressed, fewer than half in the United States receive treatment and less than 10% elsewhere.

There are many reasons why people may not want to talk to a professional therapist.

• We have pride, and thus we may not want to seek for help.
• We feel shame if we seek help, so we won’t.
• It’s a sign of weakness. We have to be strong on the surface.
• We fear that everyone will know and will use that as a poker chip against us.
• We feel that nobody can solve the problem except our own selves, etc.

Whatever the case is, the fact remains that we become depressed and it may just stay there, sometimes for years on end. As we reach adulthood, depression may be even stronger than when we were adolescents because of the circumstances involved: money, relationship, or family. It becomes an issue when people around us feel uncomfortable because we had put up a wall to protect our internal psyche and believe it will keep from harming others, which of course does the opposite.

So that’s why talking with another human being is important, a therapist being the most effective method.

Let’s say that, ‘ok, there is still fear of contacting someone we don’t know.’ That’s understandable. Perhaps the help above is too… formal? That by learning information from organizations specialized in depression, we may feel shame if someone knows about it? That’s just approval addition at work. If the person is someone who cares about you, they will support you to the end.

For this post, I have a few other sources that you may find interesting.

Dr. David Burns is a highly respected psychiatrist who has treated countless people who have suffered from depression of all kinds. He wrote the national bestseller book, Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy. In the book, he gives comprehensive detail on how to overcome depression, guilt, pessimistic behavior without the use of drugs. This was the best $3.72 I have ever spent. I read the whole thing and I keep it if I need a lift myself sometimes. He has his own blog, also called Feeling good. I recommend to check out his work.

Next, I also want to show you this video about a famous talk show host, Steve Harvey:

Mr. Harvey may be a very successful man now, but he was dirt poor (actually homeless) in the past, simply trying to scrape by well into his 40s. And surprisingly, despite his seemingly funny and filterless tone that we know and love today, I learned that he was actually a quiet and shy person when he was young. These are the words from his childhood friend, Gwen, from the above video:

I can bet you that he was depressed at many points in his life. In his 20s, 30s, 40s, maybe even now from time to time. But he didn’t give up. He kept himself busy, and along the way gained valuable wisdom. We see him happy now not because of his success, fame, or fortune, but because he is proud to show the world a positive light, to help his family, friends, and total strangers by being himself. Very few people can do that, and for that, I respect him greatly.

The point of this post is that if you are depressed, don’t be afraid to seek help. You are certainly not alone in this even though you think you are. We can lay down on our beds, thinking through the same dark thoughts for days, months, or even years. To break that thought, we first need to learn about ourselves, then go learn about new things with an open mind.

So let’s start today! First, head to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America and see how they can help you triumph over your depression. Help yourself being yourself so you can help others!

~Sam