“I Was Diagnosed With Depression”

I was diagnosed with depression for the first time almost 14 years ago. FOURTEEN. I remember being embarrassed to tell my parents. I was ashamed for being on medications, and when I admitted it to people, i felt like they scampered away in a second.

I was diagnosed again just a little over a year ago, and this time I had much bigger and better support from friends and family. And I reached out and openly admitted it on social media and my blog.

I didn’t hide behind it this time

While those two experiences were drastically different, the overall stigma of mental health hasn’t really changed in more than a decade. Some people still act like depression is a decision you make – like it’s not it’s own disease – and that you somehow have control over neurotransmitter levels and responders in your brain.

And it’s not just depression. It’s bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, anxiety disorders, addiction, etc, etc. They are all fraught with the stigma of “crazy”. Guess what?! It’s not even the 20th century anymore, so it’s time we Stop Stigmatizing Mental Health.

It’s time we encourage even our strong friends to get help when they need it

It’s time to treat mental health with all the same fervor and importance that we treat every other organ and mishap in the body. We have come so far to go in understanding the vast universe that is the brain and its trillions of connections and its associated pathophysiology. May we all be more compassionate while we wait for our understanding to catch up and while we wait for better treatments for devastating diseases that take our loved ones every single day.

Thanks Dr Rand Diab for encouraging the conversation.

To know more about this initiative: Stop Stigmatizing Mental Health: Our Stories, by Women in Medicine