The issue that I have had since begnning the blog is gaining the support of people who have never experienced depression. The IPO Blog community is meant to serve as a safe place for people who have battled or are currently battling depression. However, the cornerstone of this community must be people who have never experienced depression. It is so important, especially within the African-American community that we begin to embrace one another with sincere love. I can’t tell you the number of people who shy away from I Press On because they don’t want to be associated with depression. This is a problem. We need the people who have never had depression to join this movement because these people are the only ones who can help to alleviate the stigma associated with depression and mental illness as a whole. What I have come to find out is that most people don’t want to support I Press On because they don’t want to be associated with the “crazy” stigma linked to mental health disorders. The most important thing I want potential supporters of I Press On to know is that supporting I Press On doesn’t mean you are crazy.
I get it. Some people think anyone with any type of mental illness is “crazy”. Well, that may or may not be true. Actually, crazy is a slang term for psychosis. For the most part, people who have been diagnosed as clinically depressed as well as women who have postpartum depression, are “normal” everyday people who do not experience psychotic episodes. In fact, many of the people you encounter have had some type of experience with depression. And, you probably would never know unless they tell you. Ironically, it is this idea of “crazy” that makes it difficult for people with depression to admit their illness is real, because they themselves don’t feel “crazy”. It is my desire to educate people about all aspects of depression, including things that are talked about least. (Things nobody tells you about being depressed.) Depressed people shouldn’t shy away from seeking therapy because they think only crazy people have depression. And, people without depression shouldn’t shun the efforts of I Press On out of fear of being labeled crazy. (People cannot be crazy by association.) I want to encourage everyone reading this post to support I Press On and other organizations that bring light to depression. Your support is important to others, and could eventually save someone’s life. Let’s take the “crazy” out of depression, and as always, let’s press on together!