How Are You Feeling?
Author: Bill Garwood
How Are You Feeling?
I’m not sure why all medical types ask EVERYONE, “Are you depressed?” Or “How often are you depressed?” It seems like they all want us to say, “All the time”. Nope, I remember coming back from Iraq and going through a physical, including the Psych evaluation (Don’t go there!) and they asked me about being depressed, I had to think and I remembered I was, for some reason, during high school, in 1971.
I was really depressed one evening. I remember walking around feeling bad…UNTIL I walked up around the end of the block. It was very foggy, and while watching the cars disappear into the fog it was like someone flipped a switch. All of a sudden it felt like I was high! From then on, all my life I have never been depressed. I understand many medical people are always looking for what’s wrong with people, but must everything be about depression?
There is a book called “Manufacturing Depression” by Gary Greenberg. The history of depression is explained, as to when a doctor was in a pharmacy and heard a guy telling his friend, “Feeling down and just blah?” (this is a medical term) I was too until I took a vitamin." The Doctor listened and he got an idea, “If we could come up with a medicine to fight depression, we could make millions!" Yep, and thus was born the Medical “cures” for all types of depression.
Ever wonder why so many medical folks want to prescribe “medicine” for every feeling we have? Because there is money to be made. Why cure people when you can treat them FOREVER? Don’t think there is a cure for cancer? Hmmm well maybe not, then again…. Every time I have gone to the V.A. for a regular yearly checkup, I get asked, “How often are you depressed?” I then sigh and try to explain that my being a bit crazy, keeps me sane. (They don’t like that, so they make a note on their chart.)
We all know someone who is depressing; they walk into a store or restaurant and the lights dim. They kind of suck the light out of everything, and everybody around them! We always called them “black clouds”. You can try to jolly them out of their doldrums, with a funny story or joke. Many are so caught up with BEING depressed, maybe they do need medicine. MAYBE. I have known several people over the years who seem to enjoy their feeling down all the time. UGH, no thank you. I’m not here to blow sunshine up your butts, however being depressed all the time can drain the life out of YOU, also.
I know winter sometimes can seem dreary but look at the bright side. We are in MONTANA! Embrace the winter! DO things, even if it’s reading, get out and see people share stories. Whatever it takes spread the happiness, now GO FORTH and do good!
