TWLOHA Conference Notes

Community Community: Share your life with others with the intention of sharing experiences with them What does that mean to you? In community? When you ask if I’m ok… I don’t think you really want to know I have all these things, I have no reason to feel this way…I have no right to feel this way and I should just snap out of it.

“The common cold”: One of the most common mental illnesses Who? Someone who has suffered a loss Someone who is genetically susceptible Under a lot of stress Life changes Post partum Diagnosed with medical problems Trauma Financial hardship

Common myths: Tend to reinforce that you have chosen to be where you are and don’t want help Just snap out of it You just need to get out of the house and do something What do you have to be depressed about? Just a phase You can control it There is someone worse than you Statistics Women are 2x more likely to be depressed than men as far as statistics show. Statistics show the picture of people who seek help

What’s the difference between sadness and depression? There is usually an event for the sadness response Depression is not usually a response or if it is it’s not the appropriate response Depression can be an intense lack of feeling, a wide range of feelings or a wide range of lack of feeling Depression affects relationships while sadness does not reach like that

Symptoms: Decreased mood for most of the day nearly everyday Lack of interest or pleasure in things we love Significant weight or appetite change, up or down Fatigue Indecisiveness Morbid thoughts You see/identify the coping mechanism Significant changes in sleep habits

Causes: Life changes Mental illness Genetic (family matter) – need to know to catch early I.e. Thyroid condition, post partum

Treatment is called treatment because it works: Know where we’ve been so we don’t go back Addiction, anxiety, and other untreated problems escalate Adolescents: may have a family member struggling More likely to abuse substances struggle with relationships have lower grades smaller social circle

Progression of depression: Isolates in experience Disconnected from everyone “Alone in a crowded room” Hopeless Need to steal hope from others

Treatment options: Most success from a combination of therapy and medication What if medication could really help? Everyone poses arguments against Image Side-effects Properly managed, medication could alleviate most of the symptoms for some people Something to consider with a therapist