Tag: suicide

Posted in depression, Uncategorized

Depression-A Killer

Posted on by Penny Wilson Writes

How long will this subject remain in the shadows?  How long will it have such a stigma attached to it that people dare not even use the word ‘Depression’?

Life has no value to depression.  EVERY DAY 121 Americans commit suicide.  50% of those people suffered from depression.

More than 38,000 people a year commit suicide.  Yet 80 to 90% of those that seek help for depression are helped  using therapy and/or drugs.

The problem with that, is the fact that only about 50% of those that suffer from depression seek help. Why?  Because it’s a dirty little secret that no one wants to talk about!

Kurt Cobain, Robbin Williams, Mindy McCready, director of the movie Top Gun Tony Scott, linebacker for the Kansas City Chiefs; Jovan Belcher, actress Lucy Gordon and Jonathan Brandis-star of The Never Ending Story.  These are all people that committed suicide.  I could easily fill a page with names.

Depression is sneaky and deceptive.  It creeps into your life in such subtle ways, you don’t even know it’s happening until one day, you look around yourself and your entire word has gone grey.  What I mean by grey, is that your world no longer has any color to it.  It has no life.  NOTHING matters any more.  NOTHING brings you joy.  Depression has stolen that from you.

(this is one of those things that No One wants to talk about or admit to) I am one of the lucky ones.  I’ve struggled with depression off and on for most of my life. I never attempted suicide, but I did think about it at times.

Right now, I’m good.  Hell, I’m great!  Life is wonderful, alive and quite rich for me.  But I never know if or when it may come into my life again.  I hope never.  But I can’t be certain of that.   

WEB MD says that some of the signs of depression are:

  • Fatigue or loss of energy almost every day
  • Feelings of worthlessness or guilt almost every day
  • Impaired concentration, indecisiveness
  • Insomnia or hypersomnia (excessive sleeping) almost every day
  • Markedly diminished interest or pleasure in almost all activities nearly every day (called anhedonia, this symptom can be indicated by reports from significant others)
  • Restlessness or feeling slowed down
  • Recurring thoughts of death or suicide
  • Significant weight loss or gain (a change of more than 5% of body weight in a month)

If you know of someone that might be depressed, reach out to them.  Start a conversation.  Let them know that it’s alright to talk about it!  Let’s bring depression out of the shadows and into the light.  This is the only way people are going to feel safe enough to talk about it and seek help.  

* I found my information/statistics at various websites.  Here are a few that have wonderful articles on depression and how to seek help:

WEDMD

SAVE.ORG

Mental Health America

Copyright (C) 2018 Penny Wilson

Please be sure to check out my Mental Health Help Page for more helpful resources.

*I know that this is a repeat of an older post, but I felt that it was worth repeating. ❤

Posted in depression, Life, mental illness, Writing

New Year and Depression

Posted on by Penny Wilson Writes

As the end of the year approaches, we all tend to reflect on what has happened over the course of the year.  I want to go back a little further than that.

In May of 2017, I came out of a several-years-long depression.  I remember it so clearly.  It was like a veil had been lifted and I was seeing the world for the first time.

With this in mind, I looked back at my stats for the last couple of year here on WordPress.

In 2017 there was a good-sized spike in my activity here.  That new enthusiasm to write was due to the “awakening” from my depression.

My Most Viewed post of all time has been one I titled Depression-A-Killer.  That tells me that there is still a HUGE need for enlightenment, awareness and information.  The stigma remains, but I do think that the battle to end it is making progress.

Why do I write about Depression?   EVERY DAY 121 Americans commit suicide.  50% of those people suffered from depression.  Reason enough?  I thought so too. If you need help -The Suicide Prevention Hotline, available 24/7 is 1-800-273-8255  Is talking to someone too much for you?  It was for me at times.  There is a Crisis Text Line.  Text 741741 and you can text with a counselor.

The one thing in my life that I am most thankful for is the end of my depression.  Depression took so much from me, it feels amazing to have my life back.  I’m happier than I’ve ever been and my life is full and rich.  I have many, many blessings.

If you would like to see any of the other pieces I’ve written about Depression, you can find those HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE.

As you can see this is a subject that is important to me. 🙂 ❤

As we go into a new year, I want to thank all of you that have joined me on this up and down journey.  I hope that each of you are blessed with every happiness your heart could desire.

Please check out my page on Mental Health Help HERE. 

*Update from 2023

The post above was originally written in 2018. My depression is thankfully in check.  I cherish each day that I am free from that darkness.  At the end of 2021, I did have a period of time where my Depression and Anxiety peaked.  But early into 2022, that had once again abated.  My life is rich, full and so very blessed. 

Posted in depression, mental illness

Stephen “Twitch” Boss

Posted on by Penny Wilson Writes

EllensGOG-S2-CastBioImage-tWitch-450x450.jpg (450×450)

You may or may not be aware of the passing of Stephen “Twitch” Boss.  He was a lot of things to a lot of people.  Father, husband, dancer, and actor.  He was the Executive Producer of the Ellen DeGeneres Show.  He was also Ellen’s DJ and dance partner. 

Sadly, Twitch lost his life to suicide on December 14th, 2022.  

By all outward appearances, he was a happy, successful person.  I read that one of his friends said that “You never know what’s going on between someone’s ears”.   So true. 

If you or someone you know is struggling, please reach out to the Suicide Prevention Helpline at 988. 

On my Mental Health Help Page, you can find many sources for help and articles on the subjects of Depression and other Mental Health issues.  HERE is a piece I wrote regarding the link between Depression and Suicide.  

Every day, approximately 130 Americans die by suicide. (CDC)

There is one death every 11 minutes in the U.S. by suicide. (CDC)

Suicide takes the lives of over 48,500 Americans every year. (CDC) 

Nearly 800,000 people die by suicide in the world each year, which is roughly one death every 40 seconds.

Is talking to someone too much for you?  There is a Crisis Text Line.  Text 741741 and you can text with a counselor.

The bottom line is to TALK.  Please, just reach out and TALK to someone.  Anyone.  There is help available.  Just reach out a hand. 

Copyright (C) 2022 Penny Wilson

*Image found online. Acknowledgements to the owner of the image. 

Posted in depression, Life

What a Little Kindness Can Do

Posted on by Penny Wilson Writes

The Suicide rates are the highest they’ve been since WWII. This is a statistic that should be alarming to every one of us. It was to me when I heard it. I’ve advocated for Suicide Prevention and Awareness for a long time. In 2018, 1.5 million people attempted suicide.

Sunday mornings, I make it a habit to watch CBS Sunday Morning. There was a piece on there this Sunday, 1/19/2020, that really hit me. In the 1960s there was a study done on patients that had attempted suicide. The study discovered that a simple intervention, showing that you CARE, can prevent suicide. The suicide rates of people being released from psychiatric care in this study dropped by 50%, because of a simple act of compassion.

If you would like to see this segment, you can find it HERE. The piece is about 8 minutes long and can explain this remarkable study much better than I can.

I’ve written several posts about getting help if you need it for depression, suicide prevention, mental illness, etc., but I had not thought about the other side of the coin. What if we Reach Out and SHOW someone that we care today? Can it really make a difference?

It turns out that yes, it can.

I had an experience on Saturday, that really hit me as an unusual act by a stranger. I was at the gas pump filling my tank. It’s cold, the wind is blowing, but the sun is shining for the first time in days. I think everyone wanted to get out and soak up some of that sunshine. While I was pumping my gas, a woman pulled her car along side mine at the next pump over. She got out of her car and with a big smile on her face gave me a very cheerful “Good morning!” I instantly smiled! We exchanged a few words about the sunshine and the cold. But that whole experience left me smiling for the remainder of the day.

Why? Because a stranger took a few seconds and showed some compassion and kindness. Then on Sunday, I saw the piece about the suicide rates. These two instances, I believe, was God’s way of saying to me, “Penny, you need to take action. Pay attention to this!”

Why on earth was that woman that greeted me at the gas pump’s kindness so unusual to me?? THAT’S the real question here.

We get so tied up in our own lives, our own head, that we can’t see the world around us anymore. A few words or a smile might make all the difference in someone’s life. HERE is that link again.  Please watch it. I think it will change your prospective on how you look at those around you.

Sometime back, I pledged to do One Kind Thing every day. For the most part, I’ve stuck with that. But I challenge myself and you, to do more. I challenge us to Reach Out to someone today, and tomorrow, and the next day. Let’s give that other person a reason to smile.

Copyright (C) 2019 Penny Wilson

Thank you for joining me on this journey. ❤ Penny

Image by John Hain from Pixabay

 

 

Welcome to the happiness farm. It is Spring after all. You have probably heard the quote from Rainer Maria Rilke: “It is spring again. The earth is like a child that knows poems by heart.” But unfortunately the past 25 years or so have been different and the rates of depression and anxiety amongst people, […]

via The Incoherent Relationship Between Mental Health And Spring — COMMUNITY NAP

The Incoherent Relationship Between Mental Health And Spring — COMMUNITY NAP

Quote• Posted on by Penny Wilson Writes

Please read about James’ courageous battle with mental health and its dire consequences.

How much pain that I put my mother threw on a daily basis. The people no longer a part of my life. How I could not remember a happy moment in four years. My soul was all but gone, the flame barely illuminated. I made the decision to live right then and there, I haven’t looked back since.

via My Life Started When I Almost Lost my Life — The Bipolar Writer Mental Health Blog

My Life Started When I Almost Lost my Life — The Bipolar Writer Mental Health Blog

Quote• Posted on by Penny Wilson Writes
Posted in depression, Life, Writing

New Year and Depression

Posted on by Penny Wilson Writes

As the end of the year approaches, we all tend to reflect on what has happened over the course of the year.  I want to go back a little further than that.

In May of 2017, I came out of a several-years-long depression.  I remember it so clearly.  It was like a veil had been lifted and I was seeing the world for the first time.

With this in mind, I looked back at my stats for the last couple of year here on WordPress.

You can clearly see that in 2017 there was a good-sized spike in my activity here.  That new enthusiasm to write was due to the “awakening” from my depression.

My Most Viewed post of all time has been one I titled Depression-A-Killer.  That tells me that there is still a HUGE need for enlightenment, awareness and information.  The stigma remains, but I do think that the battle to end it is making progress.

Why do I write about Depression?   EVERY DAY 121 Americans commit suicide.  50% of those people suffered from depression.  Reason enough?  I thought so too. If you need help -The Suicide Prevention Hotline, available 24/7 is 1-800-273-8255  Is talking to someone too much for you?  It was for me at times.  There is a Crisis Text Line.  Text 741741 and you can text with a counselor.

The one thing in my life that I am most thankful for is the end of my depression.  Depression took so much from me, it feels amazing to have my life back.  I’m happier than I’ve ever been and my life is full and rich.  I have many, many blessings.

If you would like to see any of the other pieces I’ve written about Depression, you can find those HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE and HERE.

As you can see this is a subject that is important to me. 🙂 ❤

As we go into a new year, I want to thank all of you that have joined me on this up and down journey.  I hope that each of you are blessed with every happiness your heart could desire.

Penny ❤

Copyright (C) 2018 Penny Wilson

Posted in depression, Uncategorized

Getting Help For Depression

Posted on by Penny Wilson Writes

I’ve written a few times here about Depression.  Every time I do, my view stats skyrocket.  This tells me several things.  It tells me that lots of people are interested in learning more about the subject.  It tells me that people out there are looking for help.  It also tells me that more people are talking about depression.

This is GOOD!  Because more people need to be Talking about depression, Tweeting about depression and sharing experiences.   This subject needs to come out of the dark and into the light of day.  There is too much stigma attached to depression.  Too often people do not seek help for it.

The main reason for this post is to share some helpful information about where you or a loved one can find help, if you are suffering from depression.  In hindsight, I felt bad that I did not include more information in my last post on the subject of finding help.

Continue reading “Getting Help For Depression” →

Posted in depression, Uncategorized

Depression-A Killer

Posted on by Penny Wilson Writes

How long will this subject remain in the shadows?  How long will it have such a stigma attached to it that people dare not even use the word ‘Depression’?

Life has no value to depression.  EVERY DAY 121 Americans commit suicide.  50% of those people suffered from depression.

More than 38,000 people a year commit suicide.  Yet 80 to 90% of those that seek help for depression are helped  using therapy and/or drugs.

Continue reading “Depression-A Killer” →