The Purpose...

Ok. So honestly I've been avoiding writing anything on this page because honestly I am still getting used to who I am these days.  Every time I think about the Candace I use to be (happy, hopeful, fun, enjoying life--good and bad) and compare her to the Candace I am now (angry, bitter, breaks down every five minutes, crying all the time) I get so frustrated with myself.  I don't even want to deal with it.

Well that's sort of the purpose of this blog.  It is a place where I am ( and you are if you choose) force to deal with yourself and an issue called DEPRESSION. Something I've heard a lot about throughout the years.  I've probably experienced a time or two in my life but never at this magnitude.  I've been forced to look into it and found out some very interesting things.

Things like:

1. Roughly 20 million people in the United States suffer from depression every year.
2. 1 in 4 young adults will suffer an episode of depression before age 24.
3. Women are 2 times as likely to suffer from depression than men.
4. People who are depressed are more prone to illnesses like colds than non-depressed people.
5. Continuous exposure to violence, neglect, abuse, or poverty may make people who are already susceptible to depression all the more vulnerable to the illness.

And there is so much more:  There are some interesting facts when it comes to Depression and African-American Women but I will deal with that in another post.  I  will say this however:

Disclaimer

This blog will be mostly dedicated to African-American women dealing with depression.  Why? Well, first of all I am African-American.  I can't really talk about something I know nothing about.  Secondly, studies have shown that:

"Black women are among the most undertreated groups for depression in the nation, which can have serious consequences for the African-American community."

Studies have also shown that African American women are the least likely to seek treatment for various reasons one of which is religion.  But that is another topic for another day.  But we will explore all of these things on this page.

So my purpose is not to exclude one group.  Everyone! Man women boy and girl are free to discuss their dealings with depression.  But my main focus will be with African-American women for reasons I've previously discussed.

So, now that that is out of the way.  I will also say that I've realized that I cannot expect you the reader to participate honestly if I don't.  This won't be easy for me but every time I write something on here I do tend to be as honest as possible.