Depressed ?

submitted by angel02 on Tuesday, February 13 2007 at 2:40 AM

So you think you might be “depressed” ? Well you’re not alone. Almost 1 in 10 American adults will suffer from some type of depressive illness this year. That is more than 20.9 million people.

Depression is not a weakness of character or a lack of mental discipline. It is a real scientifically proven biological imbalance of brain chemicals. There is nothing to be ashamed of if you think you may suffer from depression.

There are numerous confidential resources that are available to help you with your feelings.

Severe depression may lead one to attempt suicide. Thoughts about killing yourself are not normal. They are not rare either. According to the APA every 100 seconds a person aged 15-24 will commit suicide That’s 36 young adults dead per hour, 864 per day, and 315,360 young adults dead by their own hand each year.

This does not have to happen. If you have thoughts about suicide, talk to someone, anyone! You might not think that anyone cares about you, or that the world would not miss you. You’re wrong. Despite what you may feel inside, there are people; family, friends, even strangers who would be sad and miss you if you were not here.

If you think you may suffer from depression, or know a friend, acquaintance, or family member who might, Click Here for more in depth information and links to many help lines and resources.

posted by mdbncsu on Tuesday, February 13 2007 at 2:42 AM

PREACH IT BROTHA!

2/13/2007 2:57:02 AM

great post. i hope people take it to heart.

2/13/2007 3:11:50 AM

edit: The stats on the number of deaths by suicide in this story may be inaccurate, please see below. However the fact remains that "Suicide is the 3rd leading cause of death among 15- to 24-year-olds.

Here are some concrete facts taken directly from the American Psychiatric Association website:

http://www.psych.org/news_room/press_releases/05-52SuicidePreventionWeek2005.pdf

Facts about suicide:
• Suicide is the 11th leading cause of death in the United States with one suicide occurring on
average every 17 minutes.

• Approximately 30,000 people die by suicide each year, more than by homicide or HIV/AIDS.

• Suicide is the 3rd leading cause of death among 15- to 24-year-olds.

• The elderly make up 12.3 percent of the population, but comprise 17.5 percent of all suicides.

• Approximately 800,000 Americans attempt suicide each year.

• It is estimated that five million living Americans have attempted to kill themselves.

• An estimated 4.47 million Americans have been touched by the suicide of a friend, family
member, or loved one.

Also according to the World Health Organization there are ~ 1 million deaths attributed to suicide each year world wide. http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=1489848

[Edited on February 13, 2007 at 4:01 AM. Reason : b]

2/13/2007 3:38:42 AM

^Holy crap every 17 minutes??? That is mind boggling!

2/13/2007 3:48:15 AM

good idea putting this up

2/13/2007 11:16:08 AM

Quote :

"Severe depression may lead one to attempt suicide. Thoughts about killing yourself are not normal. They are not rare either. According to the APA every 100 seconds a person aged 15-24 will commit suicide That’s 36 young adults dead per hour, 864 per day, and 315,360 young adults dead by their own hand each year."

So basically this amounts to 10% of America killing itself every year....

2/13/2007 12:07:04 PM

MATH MAJOR ALERT

HIDE THE ABACUS

2/13/2007 12:36:13 PM

^^ It didn't say in the US. Though, as mdbncsu pointed out, the statistic was still false.

Good post though, glad it's here.

2/13/2007 1:34:50 PM

^^^ Check your math there, genius.

[Edited on February 13, 2007 at 1:35 PM. Reason : ]

2/13/2007 1:35:12 PM

Quote :

"even strangers who would be sad and miss you if you were not here. "

i don't know why a stranger would miss you. i mean, there must be something exstreamly wrong with a person who misses and is saddened by the death of some person they don't even know.


that or i missed something while growing up and am thus prevented from connecting with the rest of the human race...

2/13/2007 3:41:37 PM

exstreamly?

2/13/2007 3:50:07 PM

i was in a few classes with frank. he was a nice guy, and he always had his camera with him at his side. he helped me get through some BME stuff. he was a real genius.

he will be missed.

RIP frank



[Edited on February 13, 2007 at 4:41 PM. Reason : .]

2/13/2007 4:36:56 PM

During Army training in 2005 everyone was required to carry suicide prevention cards...

2/13/2007 4:59:05 PM

hooray valentine's day

2/13/2007 5:17:13 PM

because TWW cares.

2/13/2007 10:11:24 PM

oh ok

2/14/2007 3:24:15 AM

2/14/2007 10:00:26 AM

This hits close to home for me. My wife struggles with depression. She's been going through it since she was 14 years old. Had multiple failed suicide attempts. Luck is the only thing that has kept her liver intact with all the over dosing in drugs. I believe there is a certain level of maturity you reach though when you get older, that helps you out a little in dealing with depression. Atleast, that's what I've seen with my wife. Although, probably not always the case.

Good info. The statement "knowing is half the battle", rings loud when it comes to depression.

2/15/2007 1:28:39 PM

Thanks for posting this information. Its wonderful to see folks on TWW do this. A positive action all around.

2/16/2007 8:03:55 AM

does anyone else agree that there are more effective ways of suicide than overdose? like maybe people dont think it through or something... but you hear about so many people that have "attempted suicide" with drugs. would that be more of a "cry for help/attention" type deal than a "tried to kill herself" thing?

i dont say this to be rude at all, as im sure people who know me would back me up. im just curious why people dont just grab guns... even if they dont have one a shotgun is like 100 bucks at walmart

2/20/2007 8:18:58 AM

Quote :

"why people dont just grab guns..."

Guns actually aren't as effective as one might think.

A lot of people botch suicide by gun by holding it to the side of their head (like you'd see in the movies) and instead just sever the connections between their eyes and their brain, making them go blind.

But to address the question, I think Drug ODs are an easier way out for people. Pop some pills that you've taken many times, just do more. I would imagine that would take a lot less willpower than pulling a trigger on yourself. I dunno though, fortunately thats something I've never considered.

2/20/2007 12:15:09 PM