Depression and Anxiety

Today I am going to be completely and brutally honest with you all. A good number of us who suffers from OCD will either go through a time of depression or have multiple bouts that can range from mild to severe. And the reason why we are more likely to suffer from depression along with our OCD is simple - our OCD can take over so much of our lives that at points in our battle we will feel as if it is easier to just give up. It seems odd though, seeing as anxiety and depression are completely opposite components of mental illnesses. Yet, the reality is that some of us will have to factor in our depression for our treatment if we want to conquer OCD.

What is Depression?

Many people have a hard time understanding and believing that depression is a real, serious Mental Health Illness. A lot of people equate depression with sadness but that is not the case. Depression is so much more than just sadness and the saying, "I am so Depressed" is so overused that it has created an invalidation of what Depression is for those who are actually suffering. It may also come down to the fact that it is hard for people to explain what it was like while dealing with Depression or even for people to recognize that what they are struggling with is Depression in the first place. 

I know, for me I never realized that I could have already been experiencing depressive symptoms way before that word depression was even mentioned to me. Yes, I knew I was struggling but I thought it was all because of my OCD. That my OCD was making me so empty and exhausted. The truth is that while it did play a factor in those initial feelings, it was my depression that made it stick and grow into an even bigger issue for me down the road. You see, the emptiness had grown in strength to the point I wanted nothing to do with anything. I also had strong bouts of an over-all sadness and lack of motivation. My mind stopped caring about my self-care and the things that made me happy. All I could do was go through the motions of my rituals my OCD put in place. My depression only got worse the more time went by and it reached the furthest point that depression can lead you to. The severe and debilitating feeling of life not being worth it anymore. And this feeling can bring on not only self-harming behaviour but suicidal ideation or suicidal attempts. All in all, not a place anyone should be in.

Edit: I am publishing this draft my daughter started in 2018. She has a brain injury now and won't be able to finish this post at this time.