The death of Robin Williams was tragic, there is no other way to describe it. A positive outcome is that maybe now depression (and all other mental illnesses) will be the more openly talked about topic it needs to be.
I have personally dealt with anxiety my entire life, but it didn't really come to head until the 9th grade when I lost my grandfather. I was staying up all night worried that something bad was going to happen to myself or someone else I cared about it. Dealing with it was not easy, and it definitely still rears it's ugly head sometimes but for the most part I have learned to, I wouldn't say control it, but I've learned to deal with it better.
Depression is something I experienced for a brief period of time, you might just be able to call it hormones. However, I have many friends who have gone through serious depression issues. At the age of 15 I was dealing with friends having suicidal thoughts and feeling alone and unwanted. I was obviously in no place to give amazing advice, but I was there for them. At 3am when they were reaching their low points they would call me and talk it out. At school when they wanted to just give up, I was a shoulder to lean on.
A key in making mental illnesses a talked about manner, is to be actively listening. People can always talk to you, but they won't accomplish much if no one is really listening. When someone comes to you, LISTEN. Make it known that you want to listen. Don't let anyone go through this struggle alone, they don't have too.
I'm sure there are others out there who were in both my position and my friend's. These mental diseases should not be treated as simple emotions. There are chemicals causing this, and this needs to be addressed. You wouldn't shame someone for going through chemotherapy, so why would you shame someone for taking anti-depressants or any other kind of medication?
You can point them in the right direction if you're unsure, but in the end, we all just need one person to tell us it's going to be ok.
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