Sadness or Depression in the Mirror

I wonder when someone who is either depressed or sad looks in the mirror which they see? Are they seeing what they want to see? Or does the mirror tell the truth and the person sees whether they are sad or depressed. Or do they see both? I would guess each person sees something different. That some who are depressed see depression. Others depressed see sadness. As for the sad, it would be the same. I realize that a person can be both sad and depressed, but there is a big difference between the two.

Sadness is an emotion. It is natural after a life changing event to become sad. The event can sometimes even be a happy one. Sadness shows no compassion. It can rip apart all your beliefs. It can make a person cry non-stop. It can make you feel despair. You cannot function well. It is similar to depression in that there is sadness and sometimes uncontrollable emotion. In my opinion that is where the sadness and depression start to go down different roads. With sadness, you may not see there is happiness at the end of the road, but you know it may be there. You may realize you are sad and know the reason why. You may even wonder if you are depressed. While sadness is just an emotion, for some it should be taken as seriously as depression.

Depression is an illness.Notice I did not say mental illness, that is a stigma. Depression is a real illness. You have no control over it. It controls you. Depression may require a doctor. It may require therapy as well as medication. I am of the opinion that depression is a chemical imbalance of the brain. I know there are many different theories regarding depression, but I stand by my opinion. Someone with depression should be taken seriously. I do not mean treated by others differently so as to make them more depressed. Rather if there are comments made that do not sound right, you need to be aware, pay attention and try to get the depressed person help. Many depressed cannot see that there is any happiness at the end of the road. A person who is depressed should not have a stigma placed over them for being labeled as depressed. I would think this makes it worse for someone who thinks they are depressed and truly are, to get treatment if it is needed. They should be treated as they have always been, but the person who notices the depression is the one who should quietly watch and listen for any warning signs.

I am sad. I am not fooling myself into thinking I am not depressed. Rather because of my panic attacks, I sometimes suffer the mania that goes with manic depression or bipolar disease. In all my years, though I sometimes have mania I do not have depression. This is not something new. Doctors know of this condition, but would rather quickly diagnose someone as either depressed or bipolar. I have been diagnosed bipolar only for the doctor to tell me he was wrong in his diagnosis. I have also been told that manic or mania and panic attacks go together. That depression is not always seen with this condition. I am lucky I have never been diagnosed as bipolar or depressed as I cannot take any of the medications used to treat them. That does not make me any better off then those who do suffer from it, as some of them have a hard time finding the correct medication and staying on it.

Having a panic disorder is looked down upon sometimes a little more than either depression or bipolar disease. Many in the general public feel that people cannot help themselves if they are depressed or bipolar. With panic attacks, many in the general public feel that it is made up, that we can control it but choose not to. Also that it is easy to just forget about panic and go on with life. Panic disorders are very much as debilitating as depression or bipolar. It usually only takes one attack for a person who has never suffered them to begin to understand how bad they are. Most are lucky never to have that one attack. But this blog is not about panic. It is about depression and sadness.

I have already wondered what a person sees in the mirror when they are depressed or sad. Now I wonder what others see in the person. Do they see sadness and mistake it for depression? This would seem more common if someone has just recently experienced a major event, such as I have in the death of my husband. Or do they mistake the sadness they see for depression? I would like to think that people see what is really there, that way the type of compassion needed is given. Which brings me back to myself. I know I am sad. I am controlling. I do not want it to show. I do not look in the mirror to see if I am sad or depressed as I know. I do sometimes wonder what other see in me. I should not care and for the most part I do not, as I am trying to deal with my sadness and get to the end of the road where I will find a new type of happiness. I have mentioned I am strong which is true. There are so many fragile people I have come across in life. It is for those I am writing this. So that the next time a person comes across someone sad or depressed that they are treated with compassion. We live in a world where compassion seems limited to only those we are close to. It costs nothing to be compassionate to another, to lend an ear to listen. While it may not cost anything, it might be worth more than money can buy. It might even save a life. I write this for those who are in need of compassion. May they find compassion and help. While I am at it, maybe people can stop labeling and judging others. As I said, this is not for me, but for those I know who are in need of compassion.