Do you know about depression?

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Did you know that depression is not a character flaw or something that means the person who suffers is a bad person. It's a chemical imbalance in the brain that can be diagnosed with a blood test. So it's not even a mental condition actually, it's physical. It's just when our brains don't function the way so called "normal" people's do. Certain chemicals, like seratonin that the brain produces normally, aren't being produced to the extent they need to be or produce too much. It can make you want to sleep all the time, or "sleep your life away". Or it can make you not be able to sleep at all and you suffer from sleep deprivation and that carries all kinds of problems with it that can lead to feelings of poor self worth because you might think that it's something you've chosen, or people might tell you that you're lazy or that you're worthless and that just adds to your own bad feelings about yourself. A lot of people go without treatment because they're led to believe that if they take pills they're weak. Or they might try the medication for a little while and find that it makes them feel worse so they stop taking it and the symptoms come back. But if you stick with it for a while you'll find that you feel better in just a short while. The side effects don't last long, especially with today's newer medications. You might think that you're the only one who knows you. But your doctor has been trained to know what chemicals need to be replaced and he will be able to tell if you're depressed, sometimes before you realize it yourself. And if he's a good doctor, he will know what medicines work and how much to prescribe to make you feel better. Do you think you know more than someone who's been to medical school for up to 12 years? If you feel like you might be suffering from depression, talk to your doctor. He will know just what to do to help you. Then trust him to get you through it. He or she is trained to do this. Then seek the support of your community mental health center. They have all kinds of resources and can get you back on your feet and enjoying life again. Finally, if you need someone to talk to, call on me. Just add me to your friends list and contact me any time. I'm here to help.