Here's What We Don't Say When We Talk About Depression
Maybe it's time to come clean.
The other day I streamed an episode of New Amsterdam which dealt with a young woman's difficulty in accepting her depression. She came from a traditional Chinese family and felt enormous pressure to please her mother, who was adamant that she not speak to anyone about her problems or feelings.
This episode brought me to tears with its relatability. Sure, I'm not Asian, and my parents are not immigrants. Even so, I have spent most of my life just as frightened to disappoint my own mom. It never even mattered if I thought she was wrong--her revulsion and rejection still cut me deeply.
On New Amsterdam, I have an ever-growing fondness for Iggy Frome who's portrayed by Tyler Labine, but I found myself a bit stunned when he told the young Chinese woman that "depression is highly treatable."
It occurred to me that although we mean well and tell everyone to "reach out for help," we're still not telling the whole story or being completely honest about depression.
When you struggle with depression, it hardly feels "highly treatable."
This is probably an unpopular opinion, but I think depression is harder to treat then most of us want to…
