Depression comes in many shapes and forms. You can not control if you get depression. The world needs to find a better way of helping people deal with depression. There are so many different kinds of depression. One kind of Therapy that will help one person will not help all people because we are all different and unique even when it comes to depression.
The 'story' below happened a very long time ago. It is a true account of a day in my life. As far as I have seen the world of Mentel Health has not progressed.
Long ago in a land far, far away
She walked into the Hospital. Asked where the counselor was to talk with. The Nurse at the front desk had no idea what the woman was talking about. The lady then explained she had talked to someone from her Insurance Company. They had told her if you needed to go talk to someone today about depression all you had to do was go to the Hospital. There was a counselor on call that she could speak with. Fair enough she thought.
The lady explained to the nurse just what had transpired and why she was now talking to her. She then was lead to a small room to talk to another nurse. Once again explaining what she had been told over the phone by her Insurance Company.
She was lead to an ER room. Her blood pressure was taken. She was asked how she was feeling while being told to lay down on the bed in the small ER hospital room. The lady then asked why she was being put in this room. She also asked when the counselor would be coming to talk to her as she had other things she needed to get done today but felt it important she talk to someone first. She was told someone would be with her shortly.
Over an hour later the lady had had enough. She grabbed her stuff, walked out of the Hospital, and drove home.
While upstairs cleaning the lady heard very loud pounding on the front door of her house, along with her name being called. She ran downstairs to open the door to two Policeman standing in front of her. They told her she needed to go back to the Hospital. She answered she wasn't going to go. She explained all that had happened that morning and why she left.
This is where she was informed as soon as she had walked into the Hospital and said she needed to talk to a counselor she had lost all her rights as a free citizen. She could either drive herself back to the hospital on her own and admit herself or they, the police, would handcuff her and take her there. Once there she would be admitted to the Mental Health Ward by the State. If she chose this route the only way out would be by going to court in a few days time if they felt she was stable enough to leave.
Given those outstanding choices, the lady drove herself to the hospital. The police following along behind her.
This time when she walked into the Hospital she was taken directly to the Mental Health Ward where she was put in a tiny room, all her personal belongings were taken away. She then told her story. How this had all came to be. How there was a huge misunderstanding by a lot of people. The person she was talking to just nodded their head having heard it all many, many, times before.
Lead to a larger room with two beds the lady was left in there and told as soon as the Doctor had the time he would come to see and talk to her. Asking how much time this would be, she was told hours and was left alone.
Left alone in a room the lady could not leave. A room with nothing to do in it but lay on a bed. The lady that was more than a bit claustrophobic sat and just breathed.
Hours went by. A young good-looking man came in the room. One that knew he was good looking. One that knew most women listened to him because of how he looked. Talking down to the lady, he suggested that while she waits to talk to the Doctor she might want to join in on the group session that was going to be starting now. She really was not being given a choice. She went.
During the group session, the lady learned a lot of things. The two main ones being she really didn't belong here at all and the guy that was the counselor, that was to be helping these people, was an idiot on a very bad power trip.
Back to her room, she went. She again asked the nurse when the Doctor was going to be coming. No more, no less than those words. She knew if she had to spend the night in this place she would be lost forever.
Another hour went by and another.
Finally, the lady was called into an office. In front of her was a Doctor. He shook her hand and asked for her story. She slowly explained her day to him. How it had all unfolded, from the phone call to the Insurance Company to her leaving the Hospital on her own, the Police coming to her house, to finally over 8 hours later talking to him.
He took one look at her when she was done. He had an angry look on his face and he said, "This is the last place you should be. This never should have happened to you. I am very sorry."
He signed the papers so the lady could go home.
Moral: Depression comes in all shapes and sizes and should not be shoved into the same square peg. You can do more harm than good in the end.
~Snook