Writing as Therapy for Depression - Share Your Journey

Writing has always been a type of 'therapy' in that it allows us to put into words our deepest secrets and feelings - things that we might be afraid or unwilling to share with anyone. People are often encouraged to keep diaries of their innermost thoughts as a way of removing the burden of problems from our every waking moment.

We All Feel Sad Sometimes

Few of us could say that we have never felt 'down' or 'despondent' at some time in our lives. These feelings are natural and are a part of what makes us human. Such feelings can be triggered by a great sadness in our lives, or be stress-related. Whatever the causes, most of us will get over them, and move on with our lives.

Clinical Depression

Sadly however, some people are unable to do so, and become what is known as 'clinically depressed'. If diagnosed, they are often referred to psychologists who attempt to find the root cause of the depression and devise methods for coping with it. Should this not work, and sometimes as an additional aid, they are prescribed drugs - which can be addictive, and which they may remain on for the rest of their lives.

A stigma is often attached to people who take anti-depressant medication, and such prejudices can lead to furthering the sufferer's low self-esteem.

Alternative Treatments

There are however a lot of alternative treatments for depression which are showing sensational results. Cognitive behavioral therapy encourages patients to try to see their problems from different perspectives. Acupuncture and hypnotherapy also work for some.

Such therapies need to be ongoing to have maximum benefit to the sufferer, and this puts them out of reach of the many of us who cannot afford private health care.

While self-help groups, families and friends can provide a sympathetic ear, they are not qualified to provide the long term help that is needed by sufferers of depression. After a while their sympathy can turn to frustration as they cannot understand why you just can't "snap out of it".

Can Writing Help?

Writing has been proven to be therapeutic for sufferers of many types of illnesses, from cancer to menopause. Not that it cures any of these - I make that very clear. But it helps the sufferers 'cope' with their illness.

The same can be said for sufferers of depression. By writing about what they are feeling, their highs and lows, the triggers to their mood swings etc, not only will it help them understand the warning signs, it will give them real information to take back to their health professional. If these documented triggers can be identified, ways of coping with them can be devised.

Another benefit of writing about their experiences, is to help other sufferers. When someone is diagnosed with clinical depression, they can feel very alone. If they are able to read about the journey of fellow sufferers, their burden is shared.

Want To Be Published?

The best way of getting such writing published is via the internet. Having one's own website allows you to publish your writing to the whole world, and there a millions of people in the world who either suffer from depression, or have a relative or friend who does. Creating a blog is a neat way of documenting your progress, and getting feedback via a forum is also worthwhile.

Building a website is not the highly technical thing it used to be. If you buy user friendly software, one that takes you step by step through the process, you will be published in no time, and updating it is even simpler. The top website building software for writers' sites even has ready to go templates - so simple that you just need to 'fill in the gaps'.