Depression has become a household name – everyone knows someone who is depressed or who uses medication to function and transcend the debilitating effects of severe depression or even mild but prolonged depression.
When psychological conditions become common in a society, it becomes difficut to objectively ask the important questions as to what the symptoms and experience might really represent. The tendency to accept that depression is the reason why one’s life not be ok, encourages a focus on removing symptoms rather than uncovering the gift that depression might offer. What if depression was a warning that you are not living a life on your terms or fully and meaningfully? It might sound as if I am trivialising the tremendous pain faced by individuals who are depressed. This is not my intention. Suffering is very real but assuming depression causes the problem as opposed to it being a symptom of underlying issues means we avoid listening carefully to what is not working in our lives.
There are many reasons for depression as there are sufferers. Exploring your depression with a skilled psychologist, open to uncovering meanings of your personal plight, is a courageous but essential process if you are to create a life of meaing and purpose rather than desperation and dread.