Depression and Recovery

According to statistics, currently, some 19 million Americans suffer from chronic depression. That’s 1 out of every 15 people in America. In fact, depression is the leading cause of disability in the United States and abroad for people over 5 years of age.


Depression may be the biggest killer on earth; it claims more lives than war, cancer and AIDS together. Twenty-eight million people in America, 1 out of 3 Americans, are on some kind of medication to try to handle this terrible darkness, time defying sadness and confusion of mind and emotion.

Depression speaks a language of its own: a persistent and anxious emptiness, a feeling of hopelessness and pessimism, a sense of guilt and worthlessness and helplessness, a loss of pleasure or interest in things that were once extremely enjoyable, restlessness, irritability, insomnia, early morning waking or oversleeping.

You may be suffering any or all of these feelings if your child died, but the most important thing is to get help from a professional and not let it consume you.

There is no question that when our child dies, it affects us physically and emotionally. Many fall into depression and find it difficult to get out of it. Seeing a doctor is good advice. You may have to take some medication at first but you will be treated by a professional, and that is very important. To take medication without consulting a doctor can be harmful to you and to those around you who don’t understand what you are feeling and going through.

When you read history you may read people like Beethoven, Tchaikovsky, Tolstoy, Abraham Lincoln and Winston Churchill suffered serious depression. Depression knows no educational, cultural or financial boundaries. Depression causes people to lose pleasure in daily life. It is emotional pain that forces itself upon us against our will.

The first thing that goes in depression is happiness. You don’t gain pleasure from anything. It takes over your mind and will. Soon all other emotions follow; happiness into oblivion, your sense of humor, your capacity for love. You can’t see the light of life or the love of others. It is utter darkness, and you can’t see through it.

Some bereaved parents may find one or more of these apply to them. It is then time to get help. We know nothing will bring back our child, but the help you can get may save your life and eventually encourage you to move forward.