Becoming Aware of Mental Health Month
David Murray
| 2 min read
I have Depression.
Sounds strange right? Saying one is depressed leads to many assumptions. Even as I type this I find it hard to define depression as a medical condition. There are several types of depression. Chronic Depression, Seasonal Depression, Postpartum Depression, and Bipolar Disorder are just a few.
I have Clinical Depression, or Major Depressive Disorder.
What does that mean? Well, It basically means that my body doesn’t create the normal levels of happy juice that most people experience. This may sound like an easy fix, however; it is far more complicated.
In my late thirties I am just now beginning to understand this disease. Yes, depression is a disease. One I live with everyday.
Back in February we started The Pursuit of Healthiness. The goal of this project is to show people who one can live a healthy lifestyle through the eyes of someone who doesn’t know what that really means. Something I didn’t anticipate was how my depression would affect my progress. Motivation is hard enough, and when you are down it can be even harder to make the commitment to get up and move around, let alone eat well.
On the flip side of this I have experienced that exercise and diet have helped with curbing depressive episodes.
In upcoming posts I’ll provide more insight as to my experience, and like The Pursuit of Healthiness I hope to shed light on this Health and Wellness topic.
May is Mental Health Awareness Month.
I encourage everyone to learn more about Mental Health and what we can all do to help demystify the stigma the word depression carries. You can learn more about mental health at MentalHealthAmerica.net.
Picture by Toni Birrer
