I am 44 yr. old female, mother of two, Audra-26 and Derrick-18 last month. I live in Houston, TX with my ex-husband (#3). He is my best friend.
I was diagnosed with depression about 15 years ago. I believe that I have been depressed all my life. My first marriage (produced both kids) ended quite abruptly, after 13 years. I married him when I was 18, and when he left I was 30. I totally fell apart. Yeah, totally. I think I'm still missing a few pieces. I continue to find them in various places. I have worked very hard ( and continue to work hard every day) to learn how to cope with this illness. Sometimes I do very well, other times not so well. Currently I am in an "up" time. Most of my "down" times are fairly short. Maybe a week, longer if it's really bad, but normally a week or less. Compared to the early years, that isn't very long at all. And they are usually only about 3 or 4 times a year. I continue to try to educate myself about this. I believe that knowledge is power.
I was in out patient group therapy along time ago and it helped me so much. Having people who KNOW how you feel is so crucial.
I have a few years (seems like a million) of experience that I would be very happy to share. And I look forward to hearing about ya'lls experiences in return.
Thank you for taking the time to read this.
Jerene
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