Thanks to Beliefnet's Lilit Marcus and my friend Priscilla Warner for the lead on J.K. Rowling's quotes regarding her depression.
As much as I am pleased that she admits her despondency in the years before the Harry Potter series, and therefore contributes to lessening the stigma, it's too bad, that once again, everyone hears that she was depressed BECAUSE of the ugly divorce from her first husband, Portuguese journalist Jorge Arantes.
We're back to classic equation most people use when trying to understand a suicide or suicide attempt: Owen Wilson wanted to die because of the Kate Hudson separation, yada yada yada.
While I know that severe major depression and cycles of depression with bipolar disorder can be triggered by life events, they don't make the depression. Depression, as I have said 100 times on Beyond Blue, is a brain disease, just like cancer or diabetes or arthritis. It is not caused by a divorce, or a bad breakup, or a job failure, just like a person doesn't become diabetic when her husband is caught having an affair (unless she stuffs her face with Ben and Jerry's to cope, that is). Even if those things precede a severe episode.
"The thing that made me go for help was probably my daughter," said Rowling, referring to the then-infant, Jessica, reports the Telegraph. "She was something that earthed me, grounded me, and I thought, this isn't right, this can't be right, she cannot grow up with me in this state.”
While I appreciate her point here, it once again deceives the masses on the complicated and disabling bio-chemistry, on the neurological shut down, that happens inside the brain of a person with a serious mood disorder.
Despite Rowling's suicidal thoughts, it's possible that her depression wasn't that severe. Because when a person wants to die as much as I wanted to die, no one thing is enough to save her. While I knew that I had to hang on for my kids, I also wanted to disappear for my kids. My self-esteem was so low that I wanted to get out of the picture so that they had a shot at a normal life without the baggage of a whackjob mom.
My God, think if everyone just had to think of their kids to save their lives! There would be so many less suicides. I truly wish that was all you needed to think about. But I know that this disease is so powerful and manipulative, that it finds a way to persuade you to end it FOR THE GOOD of your kids.
I applaud Rowling for speaking publicly about her darker days, for saying this: "I have never been remotely ashamed of having been depressed. Never. I think I'm abnormally shameless on that account because what's to be ashamed of?"
I congratulate her on telling anyone who suffers from depression to "go and get help." But I warn people of the shallowness in this one profile: that falling down with a breakup and picking yourself up for the kids can itself send a superficial impression of what, exactly, this brain disease is capable of.
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I feel for you and can totally relate. I have been suffering with depression and anxiety for what seems like forever. I can't remember when I was thinking normal and rationally. I have been through so many psyciatrists, lost the count. Been on several meds as well. I was at a point in my life where I wanted to just end it, like you to avoid my child from having a whackjob Mom, feeling that without me around my child would be able to have a normal happy life. My child is what keeps me hanging on.
I wanted to end my life when i was a teenager. My dad was overseas and i did not know where my mother was. I was with my dad's siblings who were just taking care of me because of my dad. ( that was what I thought than.) I had gone to a Catholic school and I know if i committed suicide, I would surely go to hell. i wanted to end everything, but i still wanted to be able to go to confession before I died. I choose to drink insecticide which did not kill me but just gave me a swollen throat. I am glad that I did not die, as there are so many blessings in my life that i would have missed. Which gets me to thinking. If a person have faith in God, would he/she risks going to hell to be free of what ever he/she is suffering from?
J.K. Rowling is fire horse in the Chinese system of astrology. Most fire signs in Chinese astrology go through a period of extreme difficulty before they shine brilliantly. If you want to know how the East meets West astrology mix you may want to try Theodora Lau's 5th Edition, Chinese Astrology book, which is really a lot of fun to use. I got mine at my public library. Most librarians will get you a loan from other libraries for about 50 cents or possibly one dollar. IMDB.com gives you a public person's birth date and other information that you may use to find information regarding. For example, Bill Clinton is a fire dog in the Chinese astrological system.
I was told I was suffering from both anxiety and depression by my Life Coach. If I had not met her, I would probably not be here on earth today.
She has taught me about me. I lost myself, many years ago by working aimlessly different kinds of jobs. I told myself, that I just wanted to try things that were different, though I didn't know I was the different one. I have learned recently, that I can't hear all the words in a conversation. The disability is in Listening Comprehension. I get lost as to what is said. I didn't know what I was missing. I thought the people were leaving blanks in the talk, I heard. It was very hard to learn any language. I didn't talk much. My big sister talked for me.
When I was young my parents would give me a dictionary to find a word. I would cry a lot when I had to do this. Sometimes there were pictures, and I would find the word. This didn't help to say the words. I could not pronounce it, because I couldn't hear all of it.
They never told me that that I had a problem. In classes at school I was a perfectly quiet student. I don't know how my grades were. My father tutored me in math. I had to go to sleep listening to tape recorders with lesson to memorize. He would play them all night.
I also couldn't see well. I can read now, and talk.
You're as correct as correct gets -- life events aggravate but they do not make the depression; and depression and many other so-called mental illnesses, are a brain and neurological disorder.
I'm an exercise physiologist -- and board-certified strength and conditioning specialist -- who conducts research in these areas areas, and am striving to help transform how people within and outside the mental health system, including practitioners and , define and approach these matters.
Frankly, I find it pathetic that many people in and outside the field of mental health have disordered thinking themselves -- including MD psychiatrists, PhD psychologists, MSWs and LPCs, healthcare and mental health program administrators, non-profits and others -- and as a result, may contribute to the mental illnesses of their patients, rather than help them achieve recovery and wellness.
Having suffered from general anxiety disorders and depression from time to time, and having worked with hundreds of persons medicated for mental illnesses and other diseases, I can attest that significant change is required. Problem is, the stigma is in part due to all of this ignorance in regards to what causes and predisposes mental illnesses.
We don't refer to people having a diagnosis of diabetes as having an "endocrine illness" -- nor should we refer to persons having brain disorders -- and elevated or decreased neurotransmitters -- as having a "mental illness" -- and is not true that our head is connected to our body and, as a result, all part of the same system?
The point: Any disorder of any kind anywhere in the body, should be categorized for what it is: a physical health issue. That one simple change in terminology will do wonders for eradicating the stigma. Not to mention helping people better understand their own bodies.
This is an excellent blog. Thanks for the opportunity to opine.
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