5 Things You Don’t Know About My Depression: My Invisible Illness

A depressed person doesn’t want to be permanently sad and focused on their negative thoughts. In fact, she is the one who has the most will to get out of this inner prison.

Depression is an invisible disease and one of the most common mental disorders in our society.

According to data from the World Health Organization, it affects around 300 million people around the world, and this number is only expected to increase in the years to come.

We cannot forget that this disorder also affects children. As well as a large part of the young population. Depression is the cause of a large number of suicides each year, but this data does not often make the headlines.

Depression is a disease that we call invisible. This is also the case with fibromyalgia, lupus or bipolar disorder, for example.

It is suffering that is not noticed at first glance. Because they leave no traces and which are not the subject of much empathy in our modern society.

It is not easy for healthcare professionals to diagnose or treat these diseases. Medical consultations are not designed to detect these disorders, which often go unnoticed.

If the diagnosis still makes it possible to detect them, the pharmacological treatments designed to treat them are not always effective.

Depression can be healed holistically. We therefore need, in addition to drugs, psycho-therapeutic care and support from society and institutions so that we can be more concerned about this problem.

This is why people affected by depression often feel lonely. Today, in the rest of this article, we’re going to introduce you to some dimensions of depression that we all should know about.

1. Depression, an invisible disease, cannot be cured overnight

The time it takes to heal or overcome depression depends on its severity.

The patient’s entourage, however, very often encourages him to quickly get rid of this problem, with sentences such as: “ Be more positive ” or “ But it’s nothing, you have to take things another way ” .

• The depressed person needs a very delicate interior restructuring. In addition to the drugs, she has to go through a very complex internal journey to learn to focus in another way on her thoughts, on her emotions.
• It is possible that after three months of pharmacological treatment, the person will experience improvement. However, some residual symptoms, such as severe fatigue or insomnia, can last a very long time.

These problems can reactivate the disease at any time. The patient therefore needs time, support, patience and a lot of courage.

2. Depression is linked to anxiety

The reason depression is diagnosed so late is that it is often confused with other mental disorders.

“But you are just stressed, you have to take things more calmly” or “I will give you something to calm your anxiety”…

These sentences totally miss the point. Depression can have many facets, behaviors that are not always obvious at first glance.

• 65% of patients who suffer from depression experience great anxiety.
• Many also experience a bad mood, apathy, unreasonable anger, and the inability to profit from anything.

It is necessary that you consult a professional so that he can offer you a proper diagnosis, if you find yourself in this situation.

3. My depression is not due to sadness

It is very common to associate depression with sadness. However, in most cases, this pathology is a kind of gigantic sphere, which integrates many aspects.

These “little things” end up building an authentic wall around the patient’s personality.

• Disappointment, frustration, anger, preoccupations and fear… there are many bars that will end up locking the person in an interior prison. This is why we say that depression is an invisible disease.
• We must not forget that the genetic dimension also plays a very important role.
• Likewise, processes like seasonal depression, related to the lack of sunlight and a feeling of loneliness, is a concrete reality that we must take into account.

In summary, depression has many origins, be they situational, emotional, or even biochemical.

4. No one chooses depression, an invisible disease

Depression is not synonymous with weakness, lack of courage, or a character that lacks personal strategies.

We can all experience this mental disorder at some point in our lives.

No one is immune to suffering or impaired neurotransmitters. We cannot forget that depression, in many cases, is due to a “chemical wreck” of our brains, over which we cannot have control.

5. Depression distorts my thoughts, you have to understand it

This disease takes hold of the person it affects, in every sense of the word. It takes away all of his energy, all of his motivation, and even all of his autonomy.

The patient no longer worries about himself, his food, etc. He does not talk about his depression, so the illness appears invisible.

• Bad mood, irritability, constant negativity… these are all traits that can characterize a depressed person. She no longer wants to leave her home and fails to have a good time with those around her.
• It is necessary that those around him show understanding, that he understands that it is the disease that is expressed. People who love her should try to be kind and affectionate.

Sooner or later this tunnel of darkness will clear up. The inner courage of the patient, the support of his family and the help of specialists are the three essential pillars of his healing process.