I have been diagnosed

So today I went to my doctor's appointment as a followup appointment to going to the neurologist. She told me that she thinks that the reason that my head was still hurting is because I probably got a concussion. She said that my head pain should be gone within a week or two. I also told her about how I have been really depressed lately. She then asked me a series of questions and came to the conclusion that I have depression. She said that she wants to wait to and see how I feel after I go to a therapist to decide whether or not I need to go on medication. Below I have answered some questions that are commonly asked by people who know someone that has depression. I have also included some stats about depression. If you have more questions feel free to comment on this blog post and I will try and answer your questions to the best of my abilities.

1) Can you have depression more than once?
- Yes you can. This is my second time going through depression. For some people, it never goes completely away.

2) Can Christians have depression?
- Heck yeah they can. Who ever says christians can't have depression is a LIAR! It is not a sin to have depression although it can be caused by a sin in one's life. The first time I had depression it was because of traumatic events that happened in during my freshman and sophmore year of high school. My doctor says that this time around it's probably due to the fact that I have had multiple injuries and health issues this year and stress. So anyone can have depression.

3) How can I best support someone with depression?
- The best form of support for me is just having someone let me know they care and have them encourage me. There are some days, I just don't want to get out of bed. But when someone sends me a verse or a note, or calls/texts me, or asks how I am doing, or just in generall shows they have interest in my life, it helps me to not feel so down. It also helps to know that I am needed.

Stats:
Depression is twice as common in women than it is in men.
The age groups that have the highest rate of known depression are 18 to 25 and 35 to 49.
People who have been abused in some way have a greater risk of having depression.
1 in 4 women will experience depression in their lifetime.


Again, if you have any questions for me about depression feel free to comment on this blog post.