Painting the Kitchen is an expression I heard during a group therapy session. One of the participants compared their life to a house, and after years of depression, that house was falling apart and needed re-fixing, so they said they would start slowly, first by painting the kitchen.
As much as I appreciate that sentiment, something felt a little wrong for me. Not that my house was in order, quite in fact. I saw my house in such a mess that painting the kitchen would only temporarily help, or worse, try to hide the rest. I saw my house's foundation crumbling and the whole thing about to fall down.
For me, recovery did not go through painting the kitchen, but rather through getting the foundation back on solid ground and building the entire thing up from there.
Wherever you are, maybe painting the kitchen is what's needed, on the other hand, maybe you need to start all the way from the foundation up. Most are probably somewhere in between.
What's important is not where you're at, but being honest with yourself to recognize where that is, and take it from there.
Sunday, November 1, 2009
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Reality
One of the biggest hypocrisies in today's western society, is the ignorance of Depression.
People regularly say they don't understand Depression because they haven't experienced it, and it's "invisible".
Firstly, tons of diseases are very well understood regardless of experience (cancer, heart disease, diabetes...)
Secondly, Depression is one of THE MOST visible diseases out there. When a person isolates, when they miss work, lose interest in what they used to enjoy, avoid relationships, etc...
When those signs occur, most reasonable people would say something is obviously "up", and most would acknowledge that those are symptoms of Depression.
Yet, despite the relative simplicity of it, practically no one would openly mention the possibility of it being Depression. "He's just in a funk", "She'll snap out of it", "If it is Depression, i don't know what to do, I've never had it"...The excuses are endless.
At the same time, one can bring up the topic of Depression in a conversation, and a vast array of opinions will arise. "Drug companies are pushing pills just to make money", "Doctors and Psychiatrists don't know what their talking about"...Isn't it ironic that when confronted with the possibility of Depression to someone near we're ignorant about it, yet talk about it in a larger context, and we have tons of opinions.
With all these contradictions, and apparent disinterest in direct involvement, imagine how it makes a person suffering from Depression feel.
It is often said that Depression sufferers (especially men) "don't talk about it". Considering the "ignorance" about it, why would we talk about it? Add to that the fact that if we ARE Depressed, one of the main messages out there is that we're encouraging the drug companies.
Depression is a complex disease, that doesn't mean it's not a disease or that it's not understandable.
This is 2008, communication, and knowledge has never been better (in this part of the world). When we "don't know" something, we're CHOOSING ignorance.
Everything can be taught, learned, and comprehended.
Stay tuned for more.
People regularly say they don't understand Depression because they haven't experienced it, and it's "invisible".
Firstly, tons of diseases are very well understood regardless of experience (cancer, heart disease, diabetes...)
Secondly, Depression is one of THE MOST visible diseases out there. When a person isolates, when they miss work, lose interest in what they used to enjoy, avoid relationships, etc...
When those signs occur, most reasonable people would say something is obviously "up", and most would acknowledge that those are symptoms of Depression.
Yet, despite the relative simplicity of it, practically no one would openly mention the possibility of it being Depression. "He's just in a funk", "She'll snap out of it", "If it is Depression, i don't know what to do, I've never had it"...The excuses are endless.
At the same time, one can bring up the topic of Depression in a conversation, and a vast array of opinions will arise. "Drug companies are pushing pills just to make money", "Doctors and Psychiatrists don't know what their talking about"...Isn't it ironic that when confronted with the possibility of Depression to someone near we're ignorant about it, yet talk about it in a larger context, and we have tons of opinions.
With all these contradictions, and apparent disinterest in direct involvement, imagine how it makes a person suffering from Depression feel.
It is often said that Depression sufferers (especially men) "don't talk about it". Considering the "ignorance" about it, why would we talk about it? Add to that the fact that if we ARE Depressed, one of the main messages out there is that we're encouraging the drug companies.
Depression is a complex disease, that doesn't mean it's not a disease or that it's not understandable.
This is 2008, communication, and knowledge has never been better (in this part of the world). When we "don't know" something, we're CHOOSING ignorance.
Everything can be taught, learned, and comprehended.
Stay tuned for more.
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