This
past semester was pretty much the most overwhelming semester in my academic
history. To say that it has been a challenge would be an understatement. Having
started college at the ripe young age of 45, I have to admit that I felt pretty
much intimidated on my first semester. I was under the misconception that
college was for the younger people in our society and or people that wanted to
become doctors. Boy was I wrong. Sadly, I have been plagued by a series of
personal problems due to my depression. I have been suffering from depression
for over 10 years now and it has gotten to the point that I cannot bare it any
more. So I decided to do something about this. All too often read that a person
has taken their life because of depression. Although that I would never even
consider doing something as selfish and foolish as taking my own life to rid
myself of my problems, I still have to admit that I've imagined how such a
thing would affect my family and those that still love me and how much negative
impact this would have in their lives. I visited the counseling center
at my University yesterday and was interviewed by one of the counselors which were
very eager to assist with my situation. A series of questions were asked to
help pinpoint my situation as well as to help determine what type of resources
they could use to help me. I was very reluctant at first and you may understand
why. Many people view therapy or counseling with scrutiny because it is related
to the mental health field. They erroneously assume that if you see a shrink or
psychologist, that you have a mental problem or that you’re crazy. That is far
from the truth and I have to admit that I too was one of these people. It goes
to say that yes; depression is a serious mental condition, but it does not mean
that you’re crazy. It means that the brains capacity to provide the chemicals
that help us deal with difficult situations has been to some degree compromised.
And that it also has the proper type of therapy and medications that help us
stabilize the problem and or help control and eliminate it altogether. I really
do not know how many more sessions I have to undergo to rid myself of my
depression but I feel optimistic that soon I can achieve it with this help and continue
on with my normal life as well as return to the good college student that I
once was. Wish me luck!