Dealing With Depression: Personal Narrative

My name is (student name) and I am 29 years old, living with my spouse in a rented place and working in a Bank as a relationship executive. We knew each other very well before getting married and used to see each other in college. We got married about two years back and my wife immediately wanted kids but we have not yet conceived although the doctor says everything is normal.

I first realized something wasn’t quite right with me in 1996, I was stationed at Ft. Campbell, Ky. I remember wakig up and having terrible dreams, that I had never had before, but I pushed it out of my head. The dreams would continue to come and agitate me and make me very uncomfortable. One morning I finally woke up and felt I needed to get to the bottom of theses dreams, I called my older sister up who was living in Knoxville Tn. And asked her, “did these things happen to me”, her reply was, “Yes”. After that phone call I tried to commit suicide, which landed me in the hospital and on medication for depression, which was the first time I was medicated and labeled as being depressed. It would be years before the question came up again,

Every time I get in one of these low-grade depressive cycles where I'm excessively pensive and melancholic rather than catatonic and wishing for death, I quickly develop this one-off obsession with the sea that I can't explain. I'm either lusting to swim it, or having nightmares of drowning in it every other night.

If I were a famous YouTube sensation, my most watched video would be called: My Depression and Anxiety Story. When I was a Sophomore in high school, I went through a long period of time where I felt utterly miserable and alone all of the time. I would want to share my story with everyone, so they would know that even the most unlikely person can go through hardships. This is my story.

My uncle explains to me that she left without a warning and got on a plane. She left the house in the early hours of the morning which awoke the housekeeper. She refused to answer any of the housekeeper’s questions and quickly shut the door. She decided to call my mother seconds before the plane departed to briefly tell her that she was leaving Switzerland for good.

In the Ninth grade I had An extremely difficult spanish class. This was also compounded by a bout of mental depression I had after I nearly failed the first quarter because a misunderstanding about a project, and the fact I never wanted the class due to the horror stories I had heard . Throughout the year these problems compounded lowering my score in other classes as I had to sacrifice more and more time to spanish and was dragged deeper into my depression.

Haven’t you ever felt that one problem drastically changes your life unexpectedly? I’ve experienced a wide variety of changes in my life since I was 5 but I believe that all these problems have transformed me into the person that I am today. One complication, however wasn’t very easy to resolve due to the fact that I didn’t know that I had this until I was 15. The most significant challenge that I have faced so far is suffering from depression.

I think this is the best way for us to communicate for the time being. This way we can say everything we need to say and have enough time to think before we respond. I want to start out by saying I really do LOVE, APPRECIATE, and RESPECT you very much. I did NOT take this decision lightly. I don't think you've realized how hard things have been for me. I am not trying to guilt you in the slightest. I've been getting treated for depression by my doctor and therapist. Even with medication I have been struggling to feel happy and actually want to do things... I mean for a while, there was literally nothing I had the desire to do but sleep. I knew I was ok though. There was apart of me deep inside that wanted to go outside and study and plan things for my club and call my friends and family and cook and eat.

I have always been a very unconventional person. I never really quite fit in and by trying to push myself to be a xerox copy, I developed severe depression. Throughout my childhood, I suffered bullying and judgement by my peers. I knew that I had a serious problem by eighth grade, but did not seek professional help until eleventh grade when I was diagnosed with chronic depression. However, throughout my years of mental suffering, my creativity and ability to learn myself flourished. I started making art in tenth grade, after a long creative halt which began in middle school. After only one year of art, I was placed in Advanced Placement Studio Art for my eleventh grade year. Additionally, in tenth grade, I started learning about different identities,

Some people may look at me and think I'm the happiest person in the world. I have a family, I have friends, and I live a lifestyle most would love to have. I’m a senior in college; with less than a few weeks from graduating with my bachelors in applied engineering and technology, and I have huge plans for my future. I’m graduating in four years, which is something that seems hard to do in today’s society. I can admit that these have been the hardest four years of my life, but not because I have a problem with struggling in academics. My struggles stem from my mental illnesses of anxiety and depression.

I sat uncomfortably with my knees supporting my chin while staring out into the yard of what seemed like an endless row of brick walls, which included our privy.

Growing up with anxiety and depression is very difficult. When you’re bullied for being different it affects the way your perceive life. My life would have gone downhill if it wasn’t for Central Park Players. When I was having doubts about what to do with my life and where I was headed. A door opened up that I am very thankful for. If it wasn’t for the door I would not being here right now.

I remember it like it was yesterday, I was so excited to start public high school. after attending private school since preschool. The summer of 2013 was spent dreaming and looking forward to memories I would make with new friends and high school activities.

Before beginning this personal narrative, I read and re-read the instructions. They clearly stated that one must be able to describe a health, illness or healing experience in detail. I guess I must consider myself fortunate that I haven’t had much to associate with illness. The people dearest to my heart have been mostly healthy. As a family we had not had much experience with hospitals. Besides an occasional visit to the doctor for a cold or a general checkup, our encounters with doctors had been minimal. Personally, I don’t like doctors or medication; the less medical attention I seek the better. However, I am grateful to live in a country that offers a free health care.

I would say that the hardest thing i’ve ever done is overcoming depression. I will say it is a difficult subject to talk about, at times. But I suppose that I will tell you the story of How I overcame such a difficult obstacle.