BLUE

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!