Speaking Out: Give a Click for Depression Awareness Month

Lately Tuesdays around here have been reserved for the Happiness Project, but I received a guest post from Tracy Rose and the staff at HelpForDepression.com that is rather time-sensitive (you have until October 15th to "give a click" - it's free and easy to help so please read on). I'll do my best to jump back into the Happiness Project next week. Today in lieu of a happy photo, I'd like to share this post with you:

Give a Click for Depression Awareness Month

One of the most difficult aspects of dealing with depression is the social stigma attached to it. This stigma can manifest itself in many ways, but perhaps the primary block in most people’s mind is that depression is actually something you can just “snap out of” – as if long-term, overwhelming sadness and despair is really just someone “going through a funk.”

This stigma keeps thousands of depressed individuals from seeking help in the form of counseling or medication. It keeps thousands more in a closed cycle of hopelessness. About 35,000 people commit suicide every year in the United States, many of whom have a mental illness such as depression. What’s worse is that for every single completed suicide there are about 11 more attempted suicides.

This is a tragedy beyond words. Even though so many people suffer from depression – as many as 1 in 10 – it is still hard to reach out to those who need help. Building a support network of trusted friends, healthcare providers, or even online acquaintances who have experience with depression can help erode the number of people losing their lives to depression.

Perhaps one of the best things about being depressed in this day of age (if anything!) is the accessibility of resources for those who decide to help themselves or someone else. There are so many online chat support groups, informational websites, and resource referral banks to choose from, but you have to make the commitment to yourself to look for them!

October is Depression Awareness Month. Advocates for organizations geared toward helping people with depression are determined to use this month as a tool for spreading information and awareness about depression and how to end it. One of the most valuable services these organizations are performing is trying to erase the stigma of depression.

Groups like Help for Depression and To Write Love on Her Arms regularly help thousands of depressed people, and they are working hard to let the nation know how common and just how devastating depression is. Still greater is their commitment to helping individuals with depression seek and find the help they desperately need.

Thankfully, there is an easy and free way to give them money! Just “like” HelpForDepression.com on Facebook, and for the first 15,000 “likes” they will donate $1 to the non-profit To Write Love on Her Arms. Spread the word: this charitable promotion only lasts until October 15^th.

Together, we can end the stigma associated with depression, just by taking a stand to support these organizations working to raise depression awareness. So get started!