SUPERB article! Thank you!
My mother and her mother have suffered from depression since I can remember. I didn't know what it was as a child, but when I got married, my husband began to notice symptoms. He was kind and caring and we discussed it. A light turned on somewhere inside me and there was suddenly hope at the end of the tunnel.
To my family's great dismay, I sought help! I am still "in process" and I use both drug therapy and solid, one-on-one and group talk therapies. The improvement is tremendous in my life, my outlook and that of my husband and son. We discuss it freely in our household and support others who are also experiencing varying forms of depression.
I am diagnosed as bipolar. Utilizing a seratonin drug and one that interrupts the pain transmitters (similar to drug therapy for epileptics), we have found a combination that works well for ME.
My son (9 years old) was beginning to exhibit symptoms that were initially taken as possible ADD or ADHD. Instead, after much testing it was determined that he is also bipolar. Bipolarity often presents in pre-teen children in a VERY similar manner as ADD or ADHD.
I applaud your candor and your information. The only shame is in not feeling comfortable enough to seek help and THAT is caused by the narrow-minded!!! Thank you!
Kitty
