The Depression Voice, what is it and how does it feel.

In my goal to help break down the stigmas associated with mental health, I am posting this article to help and educate those, that don't know what an aspect of depression feels like. It is called the Depression Voice.

It is important equally for you (those who are not affected by depression,) and me to share this information, because it helps me and all others who have to deal with depression, that we are seen as real people.

Fifty plus percentage of people living in the United States suffer from some form of depression at, any given point in their lifetime and over 350 Million people world wide deal with depression (according to the World Health Organization.)

Mental health is the number one cause of lost productivity in North America. In Canada alone over 500,00 people per week are unable to go to work due to mental health issues and concerns.

These persons are real people, they are our police officers, firefighters, EMS personnel, we are brothers, sisters, mothers, fathers, friends and your co-workers.

We all have voices. We want to express ourselves and feel heard. When those voices are kind they make us feel good. We’re trying our best, we’re doing good things for others and we want to help people.

Then there is the depression voice.

The depression voice isn’t kind. It tells you things like, “You’re worthless,” and, “Nobody cares about you.” The depression voice is unrelenting, unforgiving and cruel. I have heard the depression voice for years starting when I was 15.

The depression voice stayed around and carried on into my adult life. I am 55 years old and I’ve been dealing with the depression voice for well over half of my life. Sometimes I can tweet it out and other times it’s so loud I can’t drown it out. This week it was incredibly painful and wouldn’t stop talking to me. I held my head in my hands and cried. I reached out to the mental health community and asked if they heard a depression voice in their heads.

Naturally, I went on Twitter, which is my internet home, and asked people in the mental health community to share what their depression voice says to them. I used the hashtag #DepressionVoice. I was surprised to hear some of the responses and they felt too close to home.

Below are samples of their depression voice people shared with me and I hope that by my sharing them with you, you will gain a better understanding of who we are as a person, dealing with depression. And through this sharing you gain a better understanding of one aspect of what mental health is.

(((Sarah Fader)))

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@TheSarahFader

 · Aug 13, 2019

What does your depression lie to you about when it talks? #DepressionVoice

Eva Caletkova

@EvaCaletkova

my depression used to tell me that I'm nothing, not worthy, that nobody will ever love me.

but in moments of darkness I also felt other energy telling me "these all are lies. Don't believe them. The truth is - you are everything, you are worthy of love" #mHealth #DepressionVoice

4:02 AM - Aug 14, 2019

@Lankee

CW: Depression

My depression voice tells me:

I’m worthless and always have been.

I’m unloved and unlovable.

I’m hideous.

I will always fail.

I will never make a difference.

I should stop caring, because I’m dead weight.

When I die it will be no great loss.#DepressionVoice https://

twitter.com/TheSarahFader/

@TheSarahFader

What does your depression lie to you about when it talks? #DepressionVoice

8:52 PM - Aug 13, 2019

Sue

@lnhrtdgrl

Replying to @TheSarahFader @TheMightySite

I'm impossible to love and don't deserve to take care of myself, people hate me and asking for help is pathetic

6:34 PM - Aug 14, 2019

Paula crossplayer

@tokarski_paul

I'm a waste of space, better of being dead.

Why are you here?

What you're doing?

Pointless in repeating myself

12:40 AM - Aug 14, 2019

Gorgeous Ladies of the Revolution 

@A_Story_of_A

Replying to @TheSarahFader

"you're lazy"

4:37 PM - Aug 13, 2019

Cailin (She/Her) 

@philosiPUNK

“The people on my life are only around because they feel sorry for me.” Or on worse days: “The people in my life are only around as part of some elaborate joke meant to completely break me”

11:50 PM - Aug 13, 2019

Judy Ryan Hall (she/her)

@Judashalah

He tells me that I am no good. He says I should have been successful all the times I tried to kill myself. He says I'm a bad mother. He says I am stupid, much stupider than my sister, who is brilliant and any attempt at intellectual exploration is folly. That my writing sucks.