For those of you who don’t know, I was diagnosed with severe depression and anxiety in 2011, after a very serious suicide attempt. So it’s safe to say that I was suffering long before then. As I look back on it now, I can’t seem to comprehend why I didn’t seek help sooner. Then I remember that my father doesn’t really believe in mental illnesses, so there is that. Also, the world was a very different place back in 2011. I’m not saying it has improved much, because it hasn’t, but at least mental health is being treated more seriously, as it should be. I have been depressed for as long as I can remember, probably dating all the way back to elementary school. I have been so depressed, that I began exploring alternative treatments for depression, as I’m apparently also medication resistant (yay!). This was late last year, early this year, and as many of you may know, I decided on Electro-Convulsive Therapy or ECT. It has changed my life, and effectively cured me of my depression. Now I’m not recommending it be your first option, because the memory problems and down time alone make it a huge investment. To top it off, it really only has an 80% success rate, which isn’t bad, but isn’t great either.

The point that I’m trying to get at, is that if you are struggling, or even suffering from what you think could be a mental illness, get help. It’s as simple as that. Those of us in this mental health arena are fighting so desperately to de-stigmatize seeking professional treatment. Let me tell you two things I know to be true that I’ve learned throughout my years. First, seeking any type of help for a mental illness is not something to be ashamed about. Second, mental illnesses require professional treatment to improve. If you don’t seek help now, it will only get worse (in the long run). So don’t suffer in silence, you’re not weak, or attention seeking, you need help, like many of us do. So go and get it, you’ll thank yourself later.

From my mind to yours, Alan Wolfgang, signing off