Depression, Anxiety, Ulcers, Obesity

These are all things that you cannot just "snap out of."

They are medical conditions requiring medical treatment and often medication.

We've all seen the commercials about depression affecting your life. It affects more than that. It truly affects everyone around you. It does no good to take medication, then stop all of a sudden just because you feel better. You feel better because the medication is working. Stopping only brings back the depression, often much worse than it was before. Not to mention all the nasty side effects of suddenly stopping meds.

Anxiety is getting worked up over small or big things, important or trivial. It can be as "simple" as going outside or as complex as an upcoming trip/job interview or job loss/family addition. Whatever "it" is, it is chemical imbalance in your brain and sometimes requires medication, therapy or both. Again, quitting either is detrimental to your progress.

Worrying yourself into an ulcer over something beyond your control, while obviously a bit silly, is definitely VERY common. What can you do about it? Medication works for many. Why? It's a chemical imbalance in your stomach. It can lead to severe damage, it can cause uncontrollable vomiting for days, and it definitely can have an effect on your daily life.

All three of these things can occur in anyone's life. Rich or poor, any nationality, any age, any faith.

Obesity, whether slight or morbid, is NO DIFFERENT. You cannot just wake up tomorrow and not be obese, RIGHT?

Then why do people think that someone suffering from depression, anxiety or an ulcer think they can just wake up and not be that way?

If medication helps you be a better spouse, parent, sibling, friend..........you owe it to yourself and those around you to take it consistently.

If you are the spouse, parent, sibling or friend of someone who needs to take medication for depression, anxiety, ulcers or any other chemical imbalance in the brain, you MUST be understanding and supportive. If you can't......then you should start practicing silence because:

"if you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all"

However, that does not mean you should purposely keep information from or lie to the person suffering. Guaranteed you will make their personal situation worse, giving them more things to be depressed or anxious about or to worry even more.

Be open and honest, not judgmental.