Depression is a deep rooted evil to society today. Millions of both men and women suffer from this devastating disease. The question that remains is how to deal with depression? Many of those suffering fail to recognize their own symptoms and when they do it is often out of control. Depression can lead to both mental and physical pain.

For years my own family was deeply affected by depression. My grandmother struggled with how to deal with depression all alone back when being depressed was something to be ashamed of. Even her closest friends had no idea how sad she really was. Then one day, my lovely grandmother took her own life at just 43 years old. She left a note detailing the pains she had endured behind closed doors and it was only then that her family realized the torment she had been going through.

A few short years later my own mother was diagnosed with bi-polar depression. This common form of depression rears its ugly head with unexplained mood changes that can only be explained as violent. My mother could go from the happiest woman on earth to the saddest in a matter of hours. It took her more than 20 years before she gained control over her emotions and finally learned how to deal with depression. This included hundreds of thousands of dollars in doctor’s bills, frequent hospitalization, shock therapy treatments, and weekly visits with counselors. Although the methods seemed cruel to me she always swore they saved her life.

I was four years old when my grandmother took her life. I was eight the first time my mother tried. Knowing how to deal with depression as an adult is one thing but to a child it means something altogether different. Understanding how anyone could be sad all the time is difficult. These early setbacks in life led me to develop my own case of depression. I spent more than four years visiting with counselors and mental health professionals. By the time I turned 18 I had already been prescribed a grocery list of medications all aimed at stabilizing my moods. The side effects of such drugs included weight gain, loss of concentration, and a “fake” happy feeling. That happy feeling was not real and my brain knew the difference. It wasn’t until my early 20’s that I came to terms with what happened to my family as a result of depression. By learning how to deal with depression I was able move past the pain and hurt and take the necessary steps to becoming successful both in the business world and also in a social setting. Whereas I was once shy and reserved, now I am able to walk into a room of unknown people and instantly strike up a conversation. Thanks to ability to deal my own shortcomings I was able to meet my wife and have a family. This would have never been possible otherwise.

As my experience shows, not knowing how to deal with depression can lead to a series of negative effects. You may not do anything as extreme as taking your own life but you just by accepting you’re depressed and doing nothing to overcome it you are robbing yourself of life. Ben Franklin once said, “Dost thou love life? Then do not squander time, for that is the stuff life is made of.” Time is all you have in life and when your time is up you don’t want to look back and wonder why you didn’t get help sooner. My mother did not take her own life but by not learning how to deal with depression sooner she robbed herself of more than 20 years of happy memories with family and friends. Every day is a gift and no one really knows when their time will be up. I encourage you to take the necessary steps to dealing with your depression or a loved one’s depression. Don’t let depression steal away the precious time you have been given.