“God, I don’t want to die. My heart started beating faster. Please. I can’t imagine my Mama standing over me crying.” – Brelyn Michele Clover (taken from my new book, Battling Brelyn)

Sadly, it’s something that happens a lot in today’s culture. There’s a stigma attached to depression that causes people to withdraw from getting the help they need. As a millennial, I haven’t met one person in my age group that hasn’t suffered from depression in some way. Whether they experienced it in college or after dealing with the loss of a parent, it happened. And it continues to happen.

My concern is the denial part of it. During my years at Temple University, I had several nervous breakdowns that I couldn’t explain if I tried. I had no idea what was going on then, but I knew I needed to seek help. Most of my depression came from anxiety and worry. I literally couldn’t find balance. I praise God for seeing me through some of the darkest times in my life.

I had a friend who suffered from depression after the loss of her mother. To this day, she can’t seem to get a hold back on life. She’s sought out help and has had psychological treatment. I continue to pray that she’s able to see how God can use that situation and bring her into a new place. I take nothing from the way she feels, because I never lost a parent and I wouldn’t try to say I understand, because I don’t.

What I do understand is that our society, and others, face depressing thoughts and situations every day. I would be remiss not to touch on it since my new young adult series touches on it more than once. Brelyn has depressing thoughts throughout the book, most tied to her experience with Lupus and how it may affect her life for the long-term.

I even think of the amazing R&B Divas Michel’le when she openly discussed dealing with depression and the many affects it had on her as she struggled to find balance as a mother and artist.

Do you know of anyone who suffers from depression? What are some ways that you’ve encouraged them to seek help? How do you think we as a community can stop denying it and make it easier for us to support each other?

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