My struggle with Depression - Joy 21

I continuously felt sad and hopeless.

I am Joy, and I am 21 years old. I have struggled with Depression which is a mental illness. I was diagnosed with an ovarian cyst and, at the same have been suffering from a terminal illness that is HIV. Being an orphan with zero support from my relatives, my life changed permanently. I felt like it was the end of everything in my life. I underwent surgery which consumed all the money my late parents left in their account to take care of myself. I continuously felt sad and hopeless.

Developing patterns.

The only thing that kept me moving was that I used to assure myself that one day God would send an angel for my rescue. I developed the habit of isolating myself from people because I thought I could not fit in any group. Most of my time was spent being very sad and hopeless, and I even started wishing myself death. I would feel great one day and crash for days and weeks. It was awful, and I could never see a way out and hated myself so much that I always felt like I had no worth living again. I became depressed. Each day I lost weight and ended up dropping out of the university. I was used to living a stressful life.

My friend.

I remember my friends came to my rescue and supported me so much until I gradually gained confidence and was no longer ashamed of myself. She introduced me to a family friend who was a psychiatrist. I got antidepressants and started psychotherapy that helped me identify negative beliefs and behaviours and replace them with positive ones. I regained a sense of satisfaction and control in my life. Every day I could not pass without talking with my friend about my feelings.

Now I am proud and happy.

I am now proud and happy to share with you that I am on top of my mental health. I love and look forward to encouraging and supporting people with mental illness. What I can tell you is that Depression is a common mental disorder, and it can happen to anyone.