CVP 2

Ashleigh Govea   
MW Online
February 17, 2013


    Everyone at one point in their life has felt some form of depression. Whether its for the loss of a loved one or for other personal reasons such as losing a job or even a bad breakup. Depression is inevitable in life. According to CDC 9% of adults are depressed at least occasionally, and 3.4% suffer from major depression. Whether your depression stems from personal issues or whether it is a mental illness, it can have an outcome of common chronic conditions such as asthma, cancer, and obesity. The current fact that we are in a recession also affects people in today generation everyday. The inability to find a job or to provide for ones family can be stressful and unsettling to say the least. Thankfully, I am blessed with an amazing job in the Health field so it is somewhat a reliable job source.
    Although, I have experienced depression through losing several loved ones in my life. Like many people do, it becomes hard to grasp everyday life when the death of a family member occurs. Some people never learn to function again and fall into a long state of depression that it could even cause death. What makes my story unique is the strength I found to turn my tragedy of losing my grandmother to cancer to better my life which can be difficult at times. I was able to let go of my anger and find inner peace. I continued to become more confident in my faith and realize there is a bigger plan for my life. Perhaps death was the birth of my new life. I changed my life for the better by reenrolling in school and applied to a hospital position so I could help family members in need just like I once was.
    It is important to care about depression and at all costs, do not ignore it for depression can only get worse if you do not seek help from family members, friends or even professional help. Family and friends are encouraged to speak out if they too feel as if someone they care for seems depressed. Perhaps it may be difficult to admit they are sick and need a loving hand or a listening ear. If someone is dealing with depression the first thing they must do is look at warning signs and admit if they have a problem. Before depression is able to be treated you have to ask yourself whether or not you are willing to continue the process to get better. You must address the issue at hand, and be willing to open your heart to seek the bigger picture. What is causing you to be depressed? Is it a mental illness or temporary? Is your condition something that can be cured by talking about it day by day and working out the issues or is it something that must be treated with medication? I recommend anyone who feels like this could be them, to research this topic. I am glad that my life is no longer in sadness and I have been able to create a wonderful life after a heartbreaking event.

Reflection Questions:
On a scale of 1-5, 1 being easy and 5 being difficult I believe this exercise was a 3. It is hard for me to open up completely to people I do not know. To admit I was down is a hard thing for me to do. However I realize everyone at some point has felt sadness and it is universal. Helping people is my main goal so they see there is a brighter picture.
I learned that although it may be hard for me to express my true emotions, it is best to acknowledge my faults and talk about them with friends and family. Bottling up your emotions can lead to serious health issues.
I did not know how common depression was amongst adults.
Why does depression sometimes end in suicide and how common is this?