12th March 2011, 12:44 PM
Depression is a hidden illness indeed. I am happy to admit that I went down that road some years back now. A sudden closing in of everything, and a bleaker outlook became worse and worse until a breakdown. In the end what helped was support - pills from the doctor (which gave space to get life in perspective) and a determination. The pills I did not like much.. happy pills I called them... but they gave me enough space to get out the house.
The secret is within yourself. Drinking and drugs as has been said, does nothing other than make it worse. honestly. And a cheery snap out of it does not work either. What does? Will depend on you. If you can trace the source of it... then you have the power to deal with it. Sometimes of course you just don't know. But in the end change is what is needed. Change of town...change of job... change of partner... change of lifestyle. it is often one of those. I suspect many of us in archaeology have suffered it, and suffered it in silence or embarrassment, as if we have somehow let the side down... Well, perhaps we could be more supportive of each other. and I think this thread has been perhaps useful in bring it out. There is no shame in suffering from depression.
The secret is within yourself. Drinking and drugs as has been said, does nothing other than make it worse. honestly. And a cheery snap out of it does not work either. What does? Will depend on you. If you can trace the source of it... then you have the power to deal with it. Sometimes of course you just don't know. But in the end change is what is needed. Change of town...change of job... change of partner... change of lifestyle. it is often one of those. I suspect many of us in archaeology have suffered it, and suffered it in silence or embarrassment, as if we have somehow let the side down... Well, perhaps we could be more supportive of each other. and I think this thread has been perhaps useful in bring it out. There is no shame in suffering from depression.