Did you ever wonder just what exactly has happened to this page? Well, I’m about to tell you.Â
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First of all, I have to give HUGE kudos to my friend, Terry, as she is one that has kept all the fabulous birthday blogs going for over a year. Terry is awesome and has persevered with the blogs even when her own life was less than accommodating. Everyone needs to give Terry a HUGE round of applause for her awesome work and dedication. I adore you Terry and appreciate you move than words can say.
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Okay, back to what I was saying. I couldn’t say it until I had given credit where credit was due. This page has been through a lot of changes in the past year and a half. It’s been a difficult one for me. Let me start with some background for those of you that may not know how it all began. Over a year ago, this page was started with Chrissy and me. Some of you may not even know who Chrissy is, but, she was my collaborating partner in crime on this page. Chrissy and I discussed the lack of support on myspace pages for quite some time. Neither of us liked the format of a discussion board because it was just too difficult to keep up with and we created this page. Chrissy has gone on to do other things and I decided to keep the page. I ended up with a crew of strangers, soon to be extraordinary friends (who you’ll hear me refer to as the DD team), which volunteered their time and efforts to the page. Again, time and life got in the way of things and they went on to do their own endeavors. I’m very proud of each and every one of them and can only wish them the best of luck in all that they set out to accomplish.
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So, that left me and a couple of people. Well, once again, the crazy thing called life stepped in and sent me a rollercoaster that includes but is not limited to … 2 moves, 2 changes of jobs, my own mental health, family issues, a diagnosis of bipolar for my 12 year old and assorted other issues. Believe me; you’ll learn more about me in no time at all (for those of you that aren’t familiar with me). I debated long and hard about closing this page. But, for one reason or another, I left it. I couldn’t take away what I had created because of my own life. I went on hiatus, so to say, to readjust my own life and take care of my family. I think I am finally coming into a place where I can realistically contribute back to this page. I am not going to fool myself into thinking that I can be here every day, all days, because in reality, I know I cannot. What I can do is the following: I can be here throughout the weeks, on and off. Some weeks it may be more and other weeks it may be less. But, I want to continue what I’ve started. I want to have a place where people with depression and other mental illnesses can come to gather.Â
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One of the goals of this page is to create a place where people with depression (all forms) and other mental health issues can come to meet other people with the same types of issues and gather, vent, share, their experiences without prejudice of their conditions. Another goal is to be able to meet other people that suffer and build a virtual support group for you. Education is another goal of this page. To be able to battle depression, it is my strong belief that you have to learn about the beast in order to slay it. I am not a trained professional; I am not a doctor; I am not a psychiatrist. Everything that I share on this page is my own (or the DD team) research or personal experiences. I’m a brutally honest person and I will share my own experiences with all of you in candid details that sometimes I’m afraid to admit to myself even until I post them here.
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Let me share a VERY brief background with you about myself. I am the youngest of four children. My father suffers from depression and thinks that he has beaten it although on occasion, I do see signs of it returning. My mother suffers from mental illness but refuses to admit that she has a problem or seek treatment. My brother has recently been diagnosed with bipolar disorder. My sister should probably seek some form of counseling or mental health services. My other sister also has depression. I have suffered from depression for most of my life. My husband suffered from depression and committed suicide in 2001. My son has recently been diagnosed with bipolar disorder. I live with my sister who has sought treatment for her depression and still battles against it. Her foster daughter, whom she is in the process of adopting, has mood disorders and possibly bipolar disorder. People, believing me when I say, I understand or I’ve been there, because I have. I’m a fighter and I’m not giving up.Â
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So, if this is what you want in your life, then please, join us here in our blogs. Share with us without fear of prejudice or judgment. I WILL NOT tolerate any attacks toward another on this page. Drama will be dealt with quickly and severely, no questions asked. I will NOT allow anything to discourage others from reaching out.
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Just a few side notes regarding the page. I have deleted all of the mail in the mailbox, except for the last month. I have answered the mail that is in there from that time forward. If you have reached out for advice or words of encouragement, I apologize. For those of you that wish to send mail to this page, please do not expect an immediate response. If you are thinking of harming yourself or feel like you are in a place that you cannot help yourself, I insist that you call one of the many numbers on the profile of this page and reach out for help. I have tried to include a number of resources for use. Again, I have explained that I may not be able to check this page on a daily basis. Also, you can email us at diagnosisdepression@yahoo.com. Â
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I have posted a few blogs yesterday that may be of interest to some of you. If you have a chance to check them out, that would be great. I received them via event message on myspace and most of them are looking for testimonies of survivors for assorted reasons. Outside of reading the information that they have provided, I neither support nor condone any of them and your experiences with contributions are out of my control.
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Once again, my name is Laura (aka SpitFyre) and I invite you to ride along a rollercoaster of life with us here at Diagnosis__Depression.
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P.S. If you are looking for a way to contribute or participate in this page in a larger realm, please contact me as I am searching for extra hands to help out with the page. Further details are available via email or message.
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