Depression Can = Suicide So The Time Is Now To Talk About It.

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WARNING ~ Content may not be suitable for young kids.

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No, I’m not trying to SHOCK anyone, but another suicide has happened in Hollywood. A well-known director has committed suicide, and it happens to be due to mental illness of severe depression. When will this stop? When will this loss of precious life end? How can we reach out to these people who suffer from depression and help save their lives? Many of us who have mental illness and disorders like myself, understand how depression can get so dark, that many consider the option of ending ones life. We feel so hopeless, so down and full of fear and doubt, even when good things are happening in our life, sometimes it isn’t enough to push away the darkness we seem to not be able to get out of…
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WENN / Malik Bendjelloul

Report: Director Bendjelloul committed suicide

May 14, 2014, 7:33 AM EST

By MALIN RISING , Associated Press
Story Courtesy Of AP…
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STOCKHOLM (AP) — Malik Bendjelloul, director of the acclaimed “Searching for Sugar Man” documentary, was widely known for his enthusiasm, kindness and high spirits — so the news Wednesday that he had taken his own life shocked colleagues around the world..

Bendjelloul’s brother Johar Bendjelloul told Swedish daily Aftonbladet that his 36-year-old younger brother committed suicide Tuesday after struggling with depression for a short period.
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“Life is not always simple,” Johar Bendjelloul was quoted as saying, adding that receiving the message that his brother had committed suicide was the worst thing he had ever experienced.

“I don’t know how to handle it. I don’t know,” he said.

“It seems so unbelievable,” Chinn told The Associated Press over the telephone. “I saw him two weeks ago in London. He was so full of life, hope and optimism and happiness, and looking forward to the future and future collaborations. We were talking about working together and talking about specific ideas, so the idea that he is no longer is just too hard to process.”

The soft-spoken Bendjelloul worked as a reporter for Sweden’s public broadcaster SVT before resigning to backpack around the world. He got the idea for “Searching for Sugar Man” during one of his trips, but it would take him more than four years to complete the film.

SVT’s culture chief Eva Beckman said his death was incomprehensible.

“One always says it is unbelievable when a young person dies, or when anybody dies, but it is even more unbelievable with Malik,” she said Wednesday. “Malik was simply such an incredibly alive person.”

Beckman also praised Bendjelloul’s strong storytelling skills and his willingness to experiment with new formats.

“What really set him apart from everybody else was his passion for storytelling. He was a fantastic storyteller,” she said.
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This really is a sad story. What I just don’t understand many times when these tragedies happen, how can the people closest around you not see any WARNING SIGNS? That truly is the most baffling to those left behind. Many who have never been touched by mental and emotional illness and disorders just don’t seem to understand how others can take their own lives. Depression alone is hard, and can take you to such dark places that we feel the only way to get out of this dark fog, grasp at the clarity of life that we feel it’s our only way to “Sanity & Freedom” from blackness. I know, as many of you know I attempted suicide twice, but I was the lucky one. The guy upstairs told me I had too much to do to help others from this same fate.
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Just being able to talk about it, and looking back, I didn’t realize how painful it is to our loved one’s and friends around us, as they are the ones to have to pick up the pieces and try to make sense of it all after the person is gone. Later, as I got properly diagnosed, and reading my journals back in those dark days that seemed to never end, that’s when I realized how selfish I had been. We don’t mean to be this way, it’s the illness that gets to us. Even when I was starting recovery from my addictions, it didn’t seem as severe as my depression and agoraphobia.
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So once I started on medications to help, I started feeling more even with my moods and my thoughts. I still struggle on some days, but that is the nature of this beast. It comes in waves, like a cycle. Learning to journal how you feel each day, then look back at them each month, really helps me to see when I do seem to get or be in a cycle. We can than use “Life Skills” we learn to work through them. But for some, even that is too hard to do when you’re in full-blown severe depression.

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*BE ALERT TO WARNING SIGNS*
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This picture above is an excellent warning sign. WHY? If a loved one goes out and gets Life Insurance for no reason, or spur of the moment? Start asking questions. I say this because of being in recovery, many who have addiction problems and are in recovery actually DO THIS. I remember listening to one man in my “Gamblers Anonymous” meeting speak about his past “Suicide Plan.” It really touched me. He had gambled a long time addictively. He said he had went and bought a life insurance policy for a large amount. He was into gambling games like Dice, Poker, and Roulette. He said, “once he lost the SAME AMOUNT as the insurance policy he purchased, he then planned to commit suicide, so his wife wouldn’t be broke because of his addicted gambling addiction.” The insurance money would cover all his gambling loss’s so his wife wouldn’t HATE him when he was dead. I just sat there listening to his story and couldn’t believe what I was hearing.
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That was a pre-planned SUICIDE I was listening to! I was taken aback and shocked to say the least, that someone would actually think something like that through. I got goose bumps just hearing him speak each word. Now I understand many who may read this, may still not understand why with just depression, that a person would want to take their own life. Let me share a little research I found about just how bad depression can get for some of us…

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Definition of depression (n)

Bing Dictionary

de·pres·sion
[ di présh’n ]

sadness: a state of unhappiness and hopelessness
psychiatric disorder: a psychiatric disorder showing symptoms such as persistent feelings of hopelessness, dejection, poor concentration, lack of energy, inability to sleep, and, sometimes, suicidal tendencies..

Common symptoms of bipolar depression include:
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Feeling hopeless, sad, or empty.
Irritability
Inability to experience pleasure
Fatigue or loss of energy
Physical and mental sluggishness

Appetite or weight changes
Sleep problems
Concentration and memory problems
Feelings of worthlessness or guilt
Thoughts of death or suicide

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Signs And Symptom Of Severe Depression:

In the past, bipolar depression was lumped in with regular depression, but a growing body of research suggests that there are significant differences between the two, especially when it comes to recommended treatments. Most people with bipolar depression are not helped by antidepressants. In fact, there is a risk that antidepressants can make bipolar disorder worse—triggering mania or hypomania, causing rapid cycling between mood states, or interfering with other mood stabilizing drugs.
Despite many similarities, certain symptoms are more common in bipolar depression than in regular depression. For example, bipolar depression is more likely to involve irritability, guilt, unpredictable mood swings, and feelings of restlessness. People with bipolar depression also tend to move and speak slowly, sleep a lot, and gain weight. In addition, they are more likely to develop psychotic depression—a condition in which they’ve lost contact with reality—and to experience major disability in work and social functioning.
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Treatment Options For Depression:
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If you spot the symptoms of bipolar depression in yourself or someone else, don’t wait to get help. Ignoring the problem won’t make it go away; in fact, it will almost certainly get worse. Living with untreated bipolar disorder can lead to problems in everything from your career to your relationships to your health. Diagnosing the problem as early as possible and getting into treatment can help prevent these complications.

If you’re reluctant to seek treatment because you like the way you feel when you’re manic, remember that the energy and euphoria come with a price. Mania and hypomania often turn destructive, hurting you and the people around you.
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Bipolar disorder requires long-term treatment. Since bipolar disorder is a chronic, relapsing illness, it’s important to continue treatment even when you’re feeling better. Most people with bipolar disorder need medication to prevent new episodes and stay symptom-free

There is more to treatment than medication. Medication alone is usually not enough to fully control the symptoms of bipolar disorder. The most effective treatment strategy for bipolar disorder involves a combination of medication, therapy, lifestyle changes, and social support.
It’s best to work with an experienced psychiatrist. Bipolar disorder is a complex condition. Diagnosis can be tricky and treatment is often difficult. For safety reasons, medication should be closely monitored. A psychiatrist who is skilled in bipolar disorder treatment can help you navigate these twists and turns…
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*Bipolar Disorder and Suicide*
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The depressive phase of bipolar disorder is often very severe, and suicide is a major risk factor. In fact, people suffering from bipolar disorder are more likely to attempt suicide than those suffering from regular depression. Furthermore, their suicide attempts tend to be more lethal.
The risk of suicide is even higher in people with bipolar disorder who have frequent depressive episodes, mixed episodes, a history of alcohol or drug abuse, a family history of suicide, or an early onset of the disease..

So I hope I’ve been able to help educate, inform, and shed a little light about depression disorder, and to know there is NO SHAME in asking for help from this destructive mental illness and disorder. There is now so much more information and helpful resources about severe depression that we should be able to help those who feel they have no options of living with severe depression. Here are just a few websites where you can get informed about depression, and how you can help. Half the battle I feel is being informed about it, and to get timely diagnosed and treated…
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http://www.mayoclinic.org
http://www.thenationalcouncil.org
http://www.suicide.org/depression-and-suicide.html
http://nami.org
http://www.mentalhealthportland.org