I was heartbroken to hear about the recent passing of actor/ comedian Robin Williams. He was one of many that has lost his battle to the disease we call depression. For the past few days, i’ve seen so many people pay their respects from those fans that learned from the characters that he played as well as those that knew him personally.  I’ve also seen the not so nice comments about calling him a ‘coward’ or ‘taking the easy way out,’ and that hurts. Those are the people that don’t understand what it’s like to want to feel something else. Depression affects millions of people,  (Click here to view the statistics), some refer it to as the silent disease because there are a lot that suffer in silence.

I was asked before to why i’m so passionate about this particular topic. The reason for the passion is because i’m a survivor. I survived my battle, I beat the odds that I put against myself. There was a time that I wanted to end my pain and suffering, I wanted to out of my own skin. There was a point that I could no longer feel anything and took matters into my own hands in order to just feel something or anything again. I understand what it is like to suffer in silence and think that it’s not worth it at the end. After so many years of struggling, being on medications and counseling, I was able to over come it all. My story goes into more depth than that brief overview but like I said. I get it, I understand and can relate to what most go through. There are people out there that go through a lot worse.

This is also why the book I wrote ‘The Mirrors Within’ (yup, I’m promoting my book in my blog, because I can), gives such a strong point of view of a person that goes through similar struggles. That’s a small tidbit that not a lot of people know and now you do. This story has some personal experiences in it mixed with fiction.

I hope with this, people become a little more open minded about depression as well as will do anything they can to help someone in need. whether its just to sit there and listen to them vent or help them get professional help. It’s never to late to ask for help and no one should ever have to struggle in silence or ever be alone in this battle.

To find out more information about suicide prevention visit: http://www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org
or call 1-800-273-TALK (8255).