distressedSince then, people have contacted me via email (when they had it), via my old email (which I rarely check), via my contact form, via Facebook, and via my Tumblr, to give me their phone numbers, to tell me not to hurt myself (which I did not threaten to do), to provide crisis hotlines, to make suggestions about medication (which I did not solicit), and in one case, to threaten to report me to the police as a suicide risk if I did not update my blog immediately to show that I was still alive.
Please. Stop. "Comment amnesty" did not mean "work harder to make sure that your words, your well wishes, your specific need to engage with my depression will be heard." I try to keep open dialogs on this blog, and I usually appreciate communication, but right now, this contact is intrusive, and upsetting, and seems to prioritize the needs of the contacting person above mine. Please. Stop.
This is why I do not talk when I am sad.
January 13 2014, 07:19:20 UTC 3 years ago
I did want to say, for what it's worth, that your posts about depression, about being suicidal have meant a lot to me; I have had experiences of being depressed and intrusive suicidal ideation. The narrowing you described is such a great way to put it - when I have problems with depression I feel like I lose all perspective. It's helpful, to me, to hear about other people who have some of the same problems and feelings - people who keep surviving. And, although I wish you the best, and sincerely hope that you don't have to struggle with these things again, I appreciate the realness of hearing the stories of people who haven't Solved It. Unlike my acquaintance's cousin who just started doing yoga and was never sad again, or my uncle's friend who also got headaches and fixed it by [whatever]. Maybe their suggestions would work for me, maybe I don't have the wherewithal to implement them all, maybe they wouldn't. But it's good to see that there are people who don't have It All Solved and who keep going.
So, thank you. I know other people have said similar things, but since I know you've said you're trying to use your platform for good, I wanted to cast a vote in the "Yes, that is awesome and thank you" column.
January 13 2014, 15:49:14 UTC 3 years ago