Depression

Posted on November 22, 2011 by Jan Dirksen, One of Thousands of Life Coaches on Noomii.

Depression
by jan dirksen

To gain understanding,
I ask you to please,
Imagine a moment
You have this disease.

Your sleep is all wonky,
Emotions askew,
Memory’s fading,
Enjoyment is too.

Anxiety’s high,
Tolerance low
Body feels numb,
From your head to your toe.

Grief’s all encompassing,
Sorrow is deep,
Affecting your appetite,
Even your sleep.

People are noticing,
Something is wrong.
Some keep on asking,
Why your face is so long?

I haven’t a reason,
Is the answer you give
So why is it then,
That you’d rather not live?

The answer it lies
Way up in the brain
Hormones imbalanced
Are causing this strain.

Nor-epinephrine
Seratonin too,
Not enough in the blood
And depression ensues

And to try to explain
What’s going on inside
Well, it’s something for many
That’s just easier to hide

For to draw one’s attention
To this disease of the brain
Means to make oneself vulnerable
Maybe seen as insane

The depth of emotions
Are hard to express;
The feelings of loneliness,
Fraught with distress.

To tell of the sadness
All encompassing guilt,
The sense of all hopelessness
Where esteem starts to wilt,

To describe the apathy
Complete lack of joy
The total inertia
One seems to employ

The anguish that’s felt,
The despair that ensues,
The prayer to escape,
From these horrible blues

This chemical imbalance,
Hormones out of control,
Create a great loss,
And leave a big hole.

Like the loss of a loved one,
The sorrow hits hard
Affecting your mood,
You’re emotionally jarred.

What makes this loss differ
Is the way it repeats,
Sometimes for days
And often for weeks.

The grief it continues
Through the day and the night,
Till hope is all gone
Seems there’s no reason to fight.

But try to remember,
That under it all,
A person is scrambling,
Anxiously, trying not to fall.

Now this fall to many,
Is only surreal,
But to the afflicted
Is far beyond real.

With many suggesting,
You snap out of it,
Like a click of the finger,
Would sure do the trick

Now at this juncture,
I’ll give you a tip,
About the advice,
So many do quip

Keep the suggestions,
The trite and absurd,
At home on a shelf,
Don’t utter a word.

For as the arthritic,
Has trouble with health,
So has the depressed,
Not because of themself.

This I can tell you,
What causes it not,
It isn’t because of
A negative thought.

The sadness it comes,
With unseen reason ‘tis true
But it isn’t because,
Of something we do.

Your best intervention,
To seek medical advice,
Treatment’s far better,
Than rolling the dice

Several trips to the doctor,
And tests not a few,
All coming back negative,
Provide not a clue

So why are you feeling
All these aches and these pains
Perhaps its depression
The doctor explains

A desperate measure
The suicide attempt
Seems the only option
Is for death to pre-empt

Remember at this point
Death is not our true wish
But, to be rid of our pain
Sorrow and guilt.

An act of this kind
Though irrational you bet
Is done to escape
When nothing’s helped yet

An anti-depressant
Understanding ear
Freedom of expression
All help alleviate fear

A doctor who’s wise
Compassionate, caring
Friends who are honest,
Thoughtfully, sharing.

The road back to health
Has knocks bumps and ruts
But it’s a road worth the travelling
No ifs, ands or buts!