Living Through Depression: Julia's Story
Summary
TLDRJulia, diagnosed with major depression and anxiety at 19, shares her journey from feeling hopeless and engaging in self-harm to seeking help and finding remission. She emphasizes the importance of asking for help, validates her feelings, and expresses her newfound passion for social work, aiming to assist children in crisis. Julia's story is a testament to resilience and the possibility of overcoming mental health challenges.
Takeaways
- 🌟 Julia was diagnosed with major depressive disorder at the age of 19 in 2017.
- 😔 She experienced anxiety from a young age, manifesting physically as chest tightness, shakiness, and stomach pain.
- 🌫 Her depression worsened through high school, leading to feelings of worthlessness and a bleak outlook on life.
- 🏆 Despite her internal struggles, Julia maintained a high-achieving facade, excelling in school and extracurricular activities.
- 🔪 Julia began self-harming and contemplating suicide as a way to cope with her overwhelming emotions.
- 🆘 She reached out to her mother for help, admitting she couldn't keep herself safe, which led to a life-changing intervention.
- 👩⚕️ Julia was evaluated by a social worker and for the first time, she was completely open about her mental health struggles.
- 🏥 She found solace and hope in the hospital, realizing that help was available and that she didn't have to die to find relief.
- 🎓 Now in remission, Julia is studying social work with a focus on behavioral health, aiming to help children in crisis or inpatient settings.
- 💪 She advocates for mental health awareness, encouraging others to seek help and not give up on themselves, as depression can and does get better.
Q & A
How old was Julia when she was diagnosed with major depressive disorder?
-Julia was diagnosed with major depressive disorder at the age of 19 in 2017.
What physical symptoms did Julia experience due to her anxiety?
-Julia experienced tightness in her chest, shakiness, and stomach pain as physical symptoms of her anxiety.
How did Julia's mental health affect her perception of life during high school?
-During high school, Julia's mental health made her perceive life as grey and filled with feelings of worthlessness.
What was Julia's outward appearance like despite her internal struggles?
-Despite her internal struggles, Julia appeared to be a straight-A student, socially active with friends, involved in her church youth group, and a regular babysitter.
What coping mechanism did Julia resort to as her mental health deteriorated?
-Julia started self-harming as a way to cope with her deteriorating mental health.
What was the turning point that led Julia to seek professional help?
-The turning point was when Julia told her mom that she didn't think she could keep herself safe, leading her mom to call Children's Hospital hotline.
How did Julia feel after being evaluated by a social worker?
-After being evaluated by a social worker, Julia felt completely broken and validated, with a sense of hope that help could be found.
What was Julia's realization about the nature of depression after her hospitalization?
-Julia realized that depression lies and that it does get better, and that she had to fight to stay alive.
What is Julia's current status regarding her mental health?
-Julia is currently in remission from her depression and is clean from self-harm.
What is Julia's educational and career goal after overcoming her struggles?
-Julia is majoring in social work and aspires to work in behavioral health, specifically with children in crisis or inpatient settings.
What message does Julia have for others who might be struggling with depression?
-Julia encourages others not to give up, to fight against depression's lies, and to hold on because it doesn't have to win and things can get better.
Outlines
😔 Struggling with Depression and Anxiety
Julia, 19, shares her experience of being diagnosed with major depressive disorder in 2017. She describes her anxiety starting from childhood, manifesting as physical symptoms like chest tightness, shakiness, and stomach pain. Her depression worsened during high school, leading to feelings of worthlessness and self-harm. Despite outward appearances of success, she privately struggled. After a crisis involving suicidal thoughts, she sought help through a hotline and was evaluated by a social worker, marking the beginning of her recovery.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Depression
💡Anxiety
💡Self-harm
💡Suicidal Ideation
💡Remission
💡Social Work
💡Advocacy
💡Validation
💡Hope
💡Stigma
💡Resilience
Highlights
Julia was diagnosed with major depressive disorder at 19 years old.
She experienced anxiety since childhood, manifesting physically with chest tightness, shakiness, and stomach pain.
Julia's depression worsened through middle and high school, leading to feelings of worthlessness.
Despite outward appearances of success, Julia struggled privately with her mental health.
She began self-harming and had suicidal thoughts as a way to cope with her depression.
Julia's mother called a hotline for help after Julia expressed she couldn't keep herself safe.
A social worker's evaluation led to Julia's first honest conversation about her mental health.
Julia didn't want to die but felt death was the only option to escape her feelings.
In a hospital, she found a break from her depression and hope for recovery.
Julia is now in remission from her depression and getting to know herself beyond her mental illnesses.
She is clean from self-harm and is studying social work with a focus on behavioral health.
Julia aspires to work with children in crisis or inpatient settings, advocating for mental health.
She emphasizes that depression lies and one must fight to stay alive.
Julia encourages others to hold on because depression doesn't have to win.
She shares her story to show that recovery is possible and one is stronger than depression.
Transcripts
my name is Julia and I'm 19 years old in
2017 was diagnosed with major depressive
disorder I almost lost this battle I
didn't think it was gonna get better but
it did I've had anxiety since I was a
little kid I always had this feeling
that something terrible was gonna happen
and that presented itself and tightness
in my chest I'd get really shaky I would
have a lot of stomach pain
those were the physical ways that it
came out for the longest time I didn't
know that was my anxiety I just knew
that was something that happened to me
around middle school I started to get
depressed and it progressively got worse
as I got into high school everything
just seemed kind of grey and a lot of
worthlessness too I don't have anything
to offer from the outside I think I hit
it pretty well I was a straight-a
student I hung out with my friends I
babysat all the time I was involved in
my church youth group
I didn't let people see that there was
something going on that was what stayed
closed behind my bedroom door things
started to feel more heavy I started to
self-harm as a way to cope I started
having suicidal ideation I told my mom I
don't think I can keep myself safe and I
know my parents were shocked when they
knew how bad it actually was it was on a
Sunday night my mom called children's
their hotline I was evaluated by a
social worker and I think it was
honestly the first time I was completely
open about what was happening and I told
my social worker that I didn't
necessarily want to die and I knew that
I needed a break from what was happening
from all the things I was feeling and
death seems like the only option I just
remember crying to her and being like I
don't know what else to do like I'm
stuck
[Music]
here I was completely broken I could
barely see the point in staying alive I
felt so ashamed of myself and these
people they just treated me like a
person
I felt validated and I had some hope and
like you know I knew that like okay when
I ask for help help is given and it
works and I knew that this break I was
looking for could be found in a hospital
room instead of dying
[Music]
today I am in remission from my
depression for the first time and who
knows how long I'm getting to know parts
of me that aren't just anxious and
depressed Julia I am clean from
self-harm I'm majoring in social work
and I really want to work in behavioral
health with children specifically in a
crisis or inpatient setting I've started
to become really passionate about
advocating once I made it to the other
side because I almost didn't make it
[Music]
you're not at fault for where you are
right now it's okay to be afraid but I
don't want you to give up because the
thing about depression is it lies you
know you got to fight to be here because
it does get better and all these lies
will eventually go away you just have to
hold on because it doesn't get to win it
doesn't get to take you so you're
stronger than that and you're worth more
than that and it's possible
[Music]
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