Can We Talk?: Recent Episodes
Charity & Jordan Milligan
A mother and son's conversations about depression. Our son was 15 when we knew something was wrong but had no idea it was depression. We had very little experience with mental health so this was a new journey for all of us. Now a year later we are ready to talk about what we've learned about mental health and all the scary words that come with it: anxiety, panic attacks, suicide, self-harm, and depression. We've explored counseling, meditation, medication, and prayer. We invite you to listen in on our conversations from our personal experiences. We do encourage you, that if you are struggling alone to reach out to a safe person and start the conversation with "Can we talk?"
Do you feel wrong or dirty for saying words like depression, self-harm, or suicide? Before depression became a part of our daily language, these were words we avoided. If I said these words it may give someone the idea that they may not have been thinking about to start with, then it would be my fault for saying them.
In today's conversation, you'll hear where we've come from and how we've grown.
- 5 years ago what were your thoughts, feelings around these taboo words?
- Knowledge conquers fear and makes these things easier to talk about.
- Thoughts of suicide and self-harm are not your fault, but they are a coping mechanism for depression.
- "Talking about suicide or self-harm actually decreases the possibility of that happening. It's the exact opposite of what the taboo is, " Jordan.
https://www.buzzsprout.com/1661866
Have you ever heard such scary words from your child? I think I'm battling depression.
In today's conversation, you will hear about the first time we used the word depression.
- What we were each thinking and feeling at that time.
- By asking "Are you ok?" gave Jordan the opportunity to say, "No, not really".
- How this word depression brought a sense of relief and fear.
- "When a child cries out for help, a parent needs to take it seriously. You just don't know the amount of time and courage it took for them to finally reach out." Jordan
https://www.buzzsprout.com/1661866
Now what? This question can sound and feel like you're totally lost not knowing what's next, or it can sound and feel like ok I've accepted this challenge bring it on! No matter your perspective when the word Depression is included it's a scary start to the journey for sure.
In today's conversation, we will talk about when our thoughts and guesses were confirmed by the doctor when he diagnosed, "yes this is depression".
- Hearing the depression diagnosis gave a sense of relief and a sense of direction
- The challenge of finding a starting point for this journey.
- Learning about Psychologists and Psychiatrists
- "Don't be discouraged if something doesn't work out. It just means you're one step closer to finding the help you need, " Jordan.
https://www.buzzsprout.com/1661866