I'm really glad to meet you. But terribly sorry to hear that you are fighting with the beast of depression so much. I can't say that I understand exactly how you feel, because our situations aren't the same. But I've been fighting depression for quite a while now. It comes and it goes, but for the past few months I've been hanging on by my fingernails half the time.

My depression stems from several things. I've had an illness for six years with no diagnosis. My wife has decided she can't handle it any longer, and has been pushing me to leave for the past year. And my only son, who is eighteen, has gotten himself into some stupid but serious problems with the law, and there is a good chance he might spend a few years in prison because of it.

It's been very difficult, and some days it's really hard to get out of bed. I don't mean to sound crazy, but some nights I almost wish I could go to bed and not wake up the next morning. But I'm not a suicidal person. It's just a part of me speaking out it's frustration, I suppose.

Anyway, I didn't write all this stuff to make you feel even worse, or to try and steal your thread. I just want you to know that I do understand what you feel, at least in principle. And I know how bad it hurts. We always try to play it down, because we don't want people to think we're just feeling sorry for ourselves. But the members here know what you are talking about, and they will not treat it lightly.

You do have a beautiful family. I wish you and all of them the very best. Good luck, Amber, and I hope to see you here again soon.

Idealist