"my finger tips are holding onto the cracks in my foundation"

Clearly a perfect society is impossible and improbable. The world we live in today, honestly, and obviously is not , as a whole, very accepting of the problems we face as American's today. Furthermore somehow our American government involves themselves in situations and issues that i personally feel that should just BUTT OUT!! (Anyway, I digress....) "Ignorance is Bliss?" have you ever heard of depression? SAD? No? Ask yourself, "DO I CARE?" Maybe you should! Depression is more common in America than you might think and it might be affecting you more intimately than you think. In any given one-year period, 13 million to 14 million people, about 6.6 percent of the nation, experience the illness."More than 16 percent of Americans -- as many as 35 million people -- suffer from depression severe enough to warrant treatment at some time in their lives, according to the National Comorbidity Study, sponsored by the National Institutes of Health." Why is this important you ask? Well as stated before as many as 14 million American adults a year have episodes of major depression, costing employers billions of dollars in lost productivity, but the majority of sufferers don't even get adequate treatment, and so the cycle continues. Many people believe that depression is a "state of mind" and that people bring this upon themselves... I wish that were true. I have been dealing with Seasonal Affective Disorder for the past 3-4 years. This form of depression results from a change in my bodies circadian rythms and a lack of sunlight. This cause my serotonin levels to go do which are my "excitement receptors" which leads to a state of depression. If ignored, or not treated, it can take over your life. Causing you to miss the oppurtunities that would have otherwise been available to you. I know from experience, missing out on months of your life at a time is not exactly "FUN" actually its pretty "SAD." Depression is not something easily explained you cant just tell someone " I have depression", or even a simple, " I am depressed." Everyone one wants to ask whats wrong, why are you sad, and even go as far as to tell you that it will get better! How do they know? Sometimes I sleep all day and cry all night. Sometimes I lash out on the ones I love and other times I feel unloved, even though i have one of the greatest support systems a person could have. That still doesnt take away from the problem. Until it mattered, I did not take a look into the bigger picture. Whether or not you are affected directly directly or indirectly you are effected. Maybe in our households, workplaces, business', or our entertainment purpose's; It is all around us. Watch the signs, get informed, get involved, and eradicate the ignorance.

Feeling Depressed? Alone? Visit: www.dailystrength.org