Depression is a very dark place to be. Scary, too, considering that stuff ACTUALLY happens as you dwell alone in your little hovel of emotional incapacity.
Published on July 26, 2004 By Mondo Darko In Current Events
Fourteen Killed as Turkish train hits minibus.

Millions stranded by Bangalese Floodwaters.

Columbia's biggest cocaine haul ever discovered.

...and another car bomb in Baghdad.


Is that all the world can offer? Throwing segments of beliefs and religion, add a touch of terror an threat, top it off with natural disasters and- well- you wonder why my days are spent curled up into a ball in a black room with minmal furnishings.
My head is in a dark enough place as it is, even without these other so called cultural "dilemmas".

And people wonder why depression is so prevalent in society today. There is even a strand of depression, ironically called "SAD", standing for Seasonal Affective Disorder, that is induced by certain seasons, yearly event anniversaries, heat, cold, you name it, and if you get depressed by it, you may just be "SAD."

After 9/11, PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) numbers rose dramatically. This was also linked to a higher rate of sustance abuse, and social withdrawal. As PTSD is an anxiety disorder, and substance abuse usually is brought upon by stress, this is no big surprise. PTSD levels within the New York region rose 4.1 percent in the wake of the 9/11 attacks, compared to a study done in 1999.

If these figures are anything to go by, then imagine the outcome of such psychological testing in constantly war-ridden countries- Afghanistan, Iraq. These counries largely don't even have the access to modern medical practices, let alone the capacity to research and treat cases of Trauma, abuse and depression.

That is the reason I am all balled up, without even living through such life threatening conflicts on a day-to-day basis.
It just seems a bit...
Pretentious?- I don't know if that accurately describes it- to be depressed in my situation.

So now, if you will excuse me, i have to go back to my blackened room and feel sorry for myself in my fortunate situation.


Comments
on Jul 26, 2004
I thin 24-hour news has made this much, much worse. Frankly I just have to turn it off. In the last couple of weeks I have tried to have totally news-free days, and honestly they have been the happiest days.

We have to be informed, but there has to be a balance. I think this constant compounding of current events builds a really unhealthy state of mind after a while. If someone were standing there telling you to check the oil in your car every 30 minutes, it would annoying, but at least it would be something you could do, yourself. Being bombarded with Iraq and all the horrors in the world that we can't do anything about is creating a strange, panicked attitude in many people I think.

Open the shades, go outside, and swear off the news for a day or two. Try and make 3 days a week news-free, at least until you feel better.