“It’s been a couple of months since I came out as a man suffering from depression. Perhaps it is the people I’ve chosen to surround myself with, but I have faced none of the harmful judging I’ve heard accompanies such a revelation. Conversely, there is a better than good chance people are judging me negatively because of their preconceived notions of mental health, manhood, weakness and cowardice without making me aware of it. I am OK with that. In my prior two articles detailing my struggles with depression, I spoke of the isolation it causes and the unimaginably deep levels of despair inherent in a depressive disorder. I have seen and read countless accounts of people dealing with the same or similar hurdles in their lives, and know full well that we all share similar stories though each case is different at its core. Those differences are part of what makes recognizing and treating clinical depression such a problematic undertaking. Since opening up, however, there are a few things I’ve learned about myself and others that may be a revelation to some.”
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Source: The Good Men Project November 20, 2014 by Shawn Henfling
Image Source: Photo:Flickr/Oleg Sidorenko
