Conquering Your Depression

My Friend's Example part 4: Way to Successful Recovery

... ( How she got the right diagnosis & further treatment ). 

Just as Helen's parents promised they soon found a good female psychiatrist for her ( she told me that they asked her if she wanted to talk to a man or to a woman - she chose a woman because she would feel more comfortable at her presence & it was easier for her to talk about her problems then... ) & it turned out that I was right! -Her diagnosis was: Depression! 

( Now, 4 years later, after reading so many articles & books about Depression I'm very sensitive to noticing its symptoms & I can even notice that 'this tv series character suffers from depression' if I am watching an actor playing such a person - & I am always right about it because some 'most obvious depression symptoms' are visible & repeat in most cases & I know them all by heart - but before Helen started to suffer from depression I didn't even know that 'something like depression exists' - & now I know that Anyone can have depression: adults, teens, old people, babies when they don't have enough love & care... - or even Animals when they miss their owners or are neglected by them ). 

I was really happy that Helen was diagnosed so fast - because it sometimes takes a really long time to get the right diagnosis, even if you are a celebrity ( Yes! for example Ben Stiller was thought to be 'mean' for a long time before he was diagnosed with Depression - & Sinead O' Connor needed 10 Years to have Her Depression diagnosed right! O_O ). 

After about a week since Helen's first meeting with a psychiatrist I called her. She answered the phone but told me 'I'm sorry, Lily - I can't talk now... - My parents are helping me with packing my things'. I thought they were going to some nice place together, to let her change the environment & maybe feel better there, so I asked her 'Are you going somewhere? :)'. She answered 'Yes... to hospital'. I asked her 'To what hospital?'. She gave me the name of a Psychiatric hospital. First I was a bit shocked, I didn't expect that her condition was that serious that she would have to go there... - but seems that it Was. When I digested that information I asked her 'Are yo sure that it's necessary? :/'. She answered 'My psychiatrist says so, and she knows what she's saying, I trust her. - So if it is to help me - I can go to such a place'. I asked her 'For how long?'. Her answer was 'They didn't tell me exactly... - till I feel better I guess'. I told her 'I hope it won't last too long' & she answered 'Me too... - but you can visit me, if you're not afraid'. I answered 'I am Your friend & a Horror Movie Fan! - so Of Course I'm Not Afraid! :) ... - I will be visiting you as often as you want & bringing you books & copy book to let you know what we do at school as soon as you are able to concentrate again'. She answered 'Thanks, Lily. You're a Great friend - I really don't know what I would do without you'. I said 'Just do one thing: Get Well Soon! :)'. She answered 'I will, I'm sure. Got to go now... see you there when you visit me'. She gave me the address of the hospital where she was going & hung up. 

She spent 6 weeks in that Psychiatric hospital... - & just as I promised, I was visiting her 3 times a week & she told me that her parents were visiting her almost everyday. It was her 18th Birthday a week after she went there ( not the best place to celebrate one's 18th birthday I must say - but it was for her own good & she knew about that ) so it was a psychiatric hospital for adults... - & she was the youngest patient there. She told me that when she arrived there - they told her to take her earrings, her necklace, her watch, her belt & even her Shoe laces off < no jewellery or long objects like that were allowed there >.

I felt a bit 'strange' when I arrived there to visit My Friend for the first time, as if I were visiting someone in prison - although there were no bars. But there was a very high wall around the hospital building & a garden next to it & every visitor had to ring two doors & walk through a long corridor to visit some patient of that hospital & there was No Possibility for anyone to escape from there till he feels good enough to come back home. Luckily it didn't look as 'scary' inside as I've only seen in some movies before - the patients were in hospital rooms for 2 people, that weren't locked so they could go to the toilet, to the library, or to the art therapy room whenever they wanted without asking anyone for letting them out. As Helen told me they also had group therapy with a psychologist: they were sitting on the chairs forming a ring & talking one by one ( She didn't want to take part in it for the first 3 days - but after that time she changed her mind & became more talkative because she discovered that it makes her feel relieved ). 

They were all getting medicine in the evening, a nurse was opening the ward door & leading a group of patients to the hospital canteen for a meal 3 times a day or some of them were allowed to go to the hospital garden with their family members when they were visiting them & a group of doctors was entering every hospital room before the patients went to sleep to talk to them & check how they feel. They also had morning gym - if they wanted to take part in it ( at the beginning Helen didn't want to, because she was too weak to move that much & she was spending most of the day in bed... - but after about 10 days she joined the morning gym cause she was strong enough for that & willing to exercise again ). There also was a hospital chapel & a priest was arriving there to lead a Mass for the patients ( Helen was & still is a strong believer, but at the beginning she didn't take part in those Masses because she couldn't concentrate on the prayers... - but one day she noticed 3 middle aged women, also hospital patients praying together in the art therapy room & joined them. She already felt good enough for that - & since then she started attending the Holy Mass with them ). The new medicine she got turned out to be right for her & she felt better & better Every Day! :) ... - I noticed that when I brought her a Birthday Present & her parents brought a piece of cake to let us celebrate together. She was already smiling then. She had a strong will to fight & survive & she did her best to come back to normal life! :) ... - Those 6 weeks she spent in hospital passed faster than we expected. When she came back home she felt Much Better, but she still had to take her medicine & visit her psychiatrist for some time - not to let her Depression come back... - It Didn't! 😃👍