Saturday, July 23, 2011

Seriously, Though: An Introduction

Hi.

This blog is never going to be a serious blog.  It's not going to be motivational, inspirational, moving, thought-provoking, helpful, instructive, or otherwise worthwhile.  It's always going to be silly and rather pointless.  Except for right now, for just a teeny tiny minute, ok?  This is important.  And it's likely the only important thing I'll ever tell you, so just suck it up and read it.

A word about clinical depression:
  
This blog is not about clinical depression.  It's not about anything, really.  It's barely even a blog.  But it is written by me, and I am a person who has been diagnosed with clinical depression, and who has been dealing with depression for all of my adult life.

I was diagnosed around the age of 24, but that was only because I had finally reached what felt like rock bottom, and my husband and I were thinking about starting a family, and this combination of factors forced me to recognize that I needed to get help.  It's clear now that I had been suffering from undiagnosed depression for many, many years prior to this, as far back as adolescence.

Getting help was the best decision I could have made.

Since that time I have had many hours of talk therapy and have taken and benefited from a number of antidepressant medications.  These years have not always been easy.  Depression and its far-reaching effects have caused deep and lasting pain and heartache to me and to many of my loved ones.  So let me say this now:  Depression is not a joke. 

My belief is not that depression is funny, but that life is funny, and life should be funny, even when you're depressed.  Especially when you're depressed.  Because if anybody needs a good laugh, it's us.

If you're reading this and you even suspect that you might be suffering from depression, please get help.  You can feel better.  You can't do it alone.  Look, here's a link to get you started:

http://www.webmd.com/depression/guide/depression-resources

No, seriously.  Click the link.  Read the info.  We'll wait.

Then come join the party.  Ain't no party like a clinically depressed party, because a clinically depressed party...well, it can dissolve into tears at any moment.  And that's ok.

Forgive the cliche:  I've found that when you've spent some time overwhelmed by the dark, you learn to appreciate the light that much more.  And maybe that's what this blog is about.  Or maybe it's just about a really neurotic, self-absorbed woman who likes to hear herself talk.  Or both!  I guess we'll find out together, if you stick with me.

I hope you will, because I'm trying to get rich and famous here, remember?

Welcome.

Alyssa

3 comments:

  1. Thanks for sharing this. I think we all could benefit in remembering that "life should be funny."

    ReplyDelete
  2. I think you're wonderful.

    I too have suffered from depression for who knows how long. Probably since I was a child. I literally have had to get to the point where I was afraid I would kill myself before I got help. No, I don't want to be on anti-depressants all the time but I want my children to have a mother and I want my husband to have some sort of a wife. I deserve to live a good life too.

    And so do you. Thanks for the PSA.

    ReplyDelete
  3. @Lori's Light Extemporanea
    I think you're wonderful, too. :) But you know that.

    ReplyDelete

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