With the passing of Robin Williams yesterday, I've felt very strongly that I need to share about depression. We all remember Robin as a genius; a hilarious genius. He was happy and personable, which is why we feel as though we lost one of our friends.
Guys, depression is a real thing. I have family and friends that suffer it. Heck, I suffer with depression. Thankfully I have mine under control and have way more good days than bad. Other people aren't so lucky, though. As I was talking with my mom last night, we both agreed that sometimes, when people commit suicide, they just want to have the pain stop for a little while. Some of them might not mean to take it that far. There comes a point that depression takes over for some people, and it becomes a silent disability. Take my uncle, for example. He suffered with depression for many, many years. I honestly don't remember him ever being depressed, because he was always so happy and full of energy with us. But he was depressed. REALLY depressed. It got to the point that he turned to heroin simply because he needed the pain to stop. Unfortunately he was dealt a bad batch, and it cost him his life. I truly believe with Mr. Williams, that he just was seeking for the pain to go away for a while.
For a lot of people, depression doesn't get to the point of suicide. But for others it does. I don't believe that makes them a coward. I don't think that they're really able to focus on anything else than stopping the pain. I think at that point, the depression has completely overwhelmed and taken over them, and they're just seeking a way out.
Depression affects everyone whether you have it or know someone that does. Here are some of the signs of clinical depression (taken from WEBMD):
Difficulty concentrating, remembering details, and making decisions
Fatigue and decreased energy
Feelings of guilt, worthlessness, and/or helplessness
Feelings of hopelessness and/or pessimism
Insomnia, early-morning wakefulness, or excessive sleeping
Irritability, restlessness
Loss of interest in activities or hobbies once pleasurable, including sex
Overeating or appetite loss
Persistent aches or pains, headaches, cramps, or digestive problems that do not ease even with treatment
Persistent sad, anxious, or "empty" feelings
Thoughts of suicide, suicide attempts
If you or someone you know is dealing with these, please seek help. Call your doctor and consider taking medication to help. I do. I'm not ashamed of it. If you're considering suicide, I urge you to call 1-800-SUICIDE (1-800-784-2433) or 1-800-273-TALK (1-800-273-8255).
Don't push those with depression out. Whenever we're at our lowest, that's when we need you the most.
This weekend was something great!! Pretty much everyone knows that Tyler was assigned to learn sign language in the last area of his mission. This last weekend, his ASL teacher and her husband flew to Idaho Falls for Don's dad's funeral. It was really great seeing Anna and Don. Thursday evening we went to Don's mother's house and spent a few hours with them. It was so fun being able to sign again! It's amazing how quickly some of it came back. Anna is deaf, so signing really is the only form of communication! Thank goodness she is so patient with me, because there were several times I had to finger spell the word I wanted to use so she could teach me the sign. By the end of the weekend, I could actually hold a full conversation with her again! Tyler and I made the commitment to Anna that we would use sign a lot more than we have been.
Macie fell in love with Anna and Don, which made us feel great! If you know anything about the deaf community, a name sign is an honor to receive. Macie got her very own name sign this weekend. It's the letter M while signing pretty. It suits her quite well!
My absolute favorite part of this weekend was being able to go to the Idaho Falls temple with them. What a treat to participate in an ASL session! Since the interpreter that usually works wasn't at that particular session, I got to do a little bit of interpreting for one of the sisters so she could understand Anna. Though I'm not really great at it, it was a really spiritual experience for me, and I guarantee that the Lord helped me understand more than I usually do! I can't wait to see them again so we can go do another session with them!
Don's family is wonderful, too! Tyler and I felt like we fit right in! I'm so grateful for the chance I had this weekend to be able to learn and grow both in sign and spiritually! We definitely can't wait to teach Macie sign, and to continue to use it in our home.
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| Don, Tyler, me and Anna |
