People who are afflicted with an anxiety or depressive disorder pose a challenge for the people around them, as well as to themselves. And make no mistake, you do have depressed and anxious people in your life-if you can’t think of any, it’s because you haven’t been paying attention ( 25 percent of women and [...]
The good news is that more people understand that mental illness is a brain disorder and not a defect in character, a realization that could be powerful enough to help neutralize the stigma of the condition. Mental illness is just as “real” as physical illness, like the “flu” or alternatively, as real as the resulting [...]
One of the most important things you can do to help a friend or relative with depression or anxiety is to give your unconditional love and support. This involves being compassionate and patient, which is not always easy when dealing with the negativity, hostility, agitation, and moodiness that are characteristic of both depression and anxiety. [...]
The Parable of the lost medication Once, in a borough named Pennington lived a couple named Dave and Sue who would go on very long walks each day. One day on their long walk, Dave found a bag that had a bottle of medication in it-the name of the medication was “Cymbalta”. Dave, knowing that the bottle contained about $500 worth [...]
When someone has an “organic” disease, such as a heart condition, cancer, or chronic pain, it’s hard to enough to offer to help; but when a person is anxious or depressed to the point that it is interfering with their life, words can become even more awkward. To the person with a chronic back injury, [...]
Many of us believe there are two types of illnesses-real illnesses like cancer and heart disease, and “pretend” diseases like depression and anxiety. Although no one would choose to have cancer or heart disease, the afflicted can be sure of the support of the UU community; the majority of their friends, family, and acquaintances-we sense their [...]
New Perspectives, the UUCWC support group for individuals suffering from anxiety and depression, offers comfort during times when The Road of Life becomes not just bumpy, but painful. Some of the main activities that the anxious, depressed, or bipolar person should consider engaging in are: physician-monitored medication, therapy, and support group attendance- in addition to [...]
