My whole life I've suffered from dysthymia (a mild, low-grade depression), and gone through a couple severe bouts of depression. I was only diagnosed last year when I finally decided to get help. My counselor is wonderful! When she first asked me to think about trying a medication, I was very hesitant because of the stigma attached.
I've been on a very low-grade antidepressant for a year now, and it's completely changed my life. Definitely the best decision I've ever made.
It's my hope for people to realize that there is help out there, and they don't have to live in a world of sadness, or always feeling down. It's a medical condition, like diabetes or high blood pressure--and it can be treated successfully. Most people who argue against it being a medical condition have never experienced the absolute despair and helplessness depression brings.
People like Tom Cruise frustrate me. There are people out there who idolize him and won't get the help they need because he runs his mouth about something of which he knows nothing, or has incorrect information, about.
