Depression is one of the most misunderstood and growing illnesses of modern times.
A week of reading newspapers from which a lot of people still get their 'news' has been very revealing.
In a week where a young model tried to take her life, the newspapers have been asking why someone who is beautiful would want to do such a thing? As though it is okay to be suicidal if you are ugly.
As depression becomes a trendy byword for newspaper columnists they turn it against the sufferers and tell us that WE are the ones using it as a fashionable trend, forgetting that we don't promulgate trends - they do.
One columnist stated that depression did not exist when she was a child and people just 'rolled up their sleeves and got on with it.
' The fact that as far as I know OCD did not have a presence when I was a child does not mean that my OCD behaviours were not exhibited at that time, as with my cousin who had undiagnosed autism for many years.
We did not take on what the medical profession put out there AFTER the fact, we exhibited the signs already and eventually matched our experiences with the new names and findings given by the professionals at a later date.
And that is quite an important word...
professionals.
It would be great if part time journos would allow people who have studied a phenomenon as their key subject for most of their professional lives to state their studied findings rather than the over exposed witterings of a person with a column deadline who, following the damage their ignorance causes to sufferers will then go on to write about a pop stars pert bottom.
These uninformed people talk about everyone jumping on the depression bandwagon, however, every system is likely to be abused by some people at some time, but that does not invalidate the help that is needed and given to real depressives.
My concern is that in a world where depression is already completely misunderstood by those who do not suffer from it, we run the risk of giving credence to ignorant utterings that will push people who really need help away.
Or that those who really need help are not taken seriously.
It is important that if you feel that you may have depression that you follow through, seek help and also do some research for yourself sticking to places and people worth listening to.