My name is Brea, I am a Jesus follower, and I suffer from depression.

Well friends, National Suicide Prevention Week is upon us, and TODAY is World Suicide Prevention day.

This is a vital week as my friend Jamie Tworkowski, founder of To Write Love on Her Arms, works to promote the work his organization is doing to save lives with the slogan, "no one else can play your part." Which I love! Don't get me wrong, there are other awesome organizations working hard this week to educated people and also save lives, I'm just a little biased to this one.

Depression is one of those subjects that as a Christian is rarely an acceptable conversation to bring to the table with other Christians.  There is so much shame in admitting to any mental illness. But I have to ask why? Now, I've read a lot of blogs, I've read books, I've listened to sermons and I just keep hearing the same thing we as the church are not as accepting and understanding of this illness as we should be.

I believe I began to suffer from depression at the age of 14. Which is not uncommon among other teenagers, as I have seen in my line of work. Throughout the last 7 years my depression has fluctuated there were months, even years, that things felt great; but I also probably seemed and looked great from the outside when on the inside I was thinking about what would happen if I were to die, because that would take away the pain.

I bet you didn't see that coming, did you? 

Yeah, even after giving my life to Christ 4 years ago, I have experienced the lowest of lows a person can experience emotionally. It eventually came to me crying on the kitchen floor of my apartment on the phone with my mom telling her I was scared of what I was going to do if I didn't get help.

And thus began the journey of counseling and finding the right anti-depressant. Alongside the healing I know Jesus was doing on my heart. I know that He was walking with me through those times, I can't contribute my mental health completely to little white pills.

I have now been on three different types and 2 different dosages experimenting for the last year and half with what makes me feel normal again, but when I talked about that process I got a look of shock and horror from most people in the Christian community, including the guy I was dating at the time. Although there were close friends within that Christian community that took the time to really understand, and for that I am forever grateful.

Some people toss around this idea that depressed people just don't try enough, but let me tell you, we try. We try a lot. We probably try harder than most people to not let you into the brokenness inside of us, to keep it concealed.

I have this theory though, what if when people opened up about what their struggling with we didn't meet them with advice or our opinions? What if we met them with love? What if we were the generation that changed the culture around mental illness? What if we recognized mental illness for what it was, MENTAL ILLNESS? What if we stopped treating it like it was a mood swing, or a lack of faith?

Here's what I think would happen, we probably wouldn't need a National Suicide Prevention Week, we actually probably wouldn't even need a prevention day.

More than 350 million people suffer from depression worldwide.

9.7 percent of Americans have a mood disorder, such as depression.

About 80 percent of people diagnosed with major depression 

can be treated & return to their usual activities and feelings.

Globally, there is one suicide about every 40 seconds.

In the U.S., there is a suicide every 13.7 minutes.

Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death for Americans.

Those statistics are alarming. I see girls on a regular basis scared to go to a doctor and scared to tell their parents they need help. There is humility that comes with admitting you need help and you've reached the lowest of lows. But there is something to be said about humbling yourself to ask for help, and not letting your depression crush or kill you.

We could be the generation that changes all of those numbers for the better. 

I would encourage you if you're where I was to press on, there is still hope. I love the way Jamie wrote it on his blog: 

We live in a world that says to play it cool. We live in a world that suggests that everyone is doing just fine, that there’s no place for your pain, that your worth is based on how many followers you have. Those are lies. You matter. Your story matters. The pain of your past and what you do with this day and the hope and possibility that your future could look different – all of it matters. 

You matter. Your story matters. Be the someone that someone needs. Be hopeful. Be loving. Be encouraging. Just be there. 

xoxo

Brea