Ask Dr. Van Pelt


Depression is a serious condition that effects some 4,486,849 people each and every day and can take a variety of forms ranging from a mild feeling of melancholy all the way to a complete psychic breakdown that can be debilitating or worse.

In its extreme form, depression can prompt thoughts of absolute despair and suicide. It is important to note that suicide is almost never a rational solution for depression. Try and remember that life is full of wonderful things that are worth living for and that there is always someone that is worse off than yourself.

Perhaps, you are in the middle of a painful divorce. Remember that there are those who have been through more than one divorce and may be looking at yet a third.

Perhaps your business is in trouble and is on the verge of bankruptcy. Remember that there are those who have endured multiple bankruptcies.

Perhaps you are the laughing stock of your community and are shown to be a liar on media message boards. You may have even sued some people because they are making fun of you and a year later nothing has happened and it is frustrating and really pisses you off and so you resort to lies to try and restore your waning self esteem. In that case, your depression would be wholly justified and it would be completely natural if suicidal thoughts flooded your mind. In those rare circumstances, ending your own life would not only be understandable but might in fact be better for those around you.