Suicide: Read This First

[Aliantha]

As someone who has come out the other side of depression, I have to say that a lot of the stuff you've all said rings true, but honestly, i think it's a different journey for everyone. I guess that's why it's such an insidious disease. There are no rules, and definitely no boundaries. I look back now and wonder how I could ever have felt life was so worthless and pointless.

Luckily for me, my issues were situational. I have a lot more empathy now for people who deal with depressive illnesses than I did before. Previously I thought depression was just people being sad and making bad choices, and I suppose to a point, I think that is the case with some people, but mostly, I just think it's devastating and you can't understand it till you've lived it. Not really. You can have sympathy and you can try and be understanding, but you just can't comprehend how it feels.

I hope I never feel that way again.

[xoxoxoBruce]

Hmmm

Americans are over-diagnosed and over-treated for depression, according to a new study conducted at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. The study examines adults with clinician-identified depression and individuals who experienced major depressive episodes within a 12-month period. It found that when assessed for major depressive episodes using a structured interview, only 38.4 percent of adults with clinician-identified depression met the 12-month criteria for depression, despite the majority of participants being prescribed and using psychiatric medications. The results are featured in the April 2013 issue of Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics.