Deborah Jansen has finally seen the light: After years of brushing off her daughter’s pleas for support, this mom has all of a sudden started to believe in clinical depression!
“I saw this woman on Dr. Oz – she was too depressed to go to work, but as soon as she was medicated, she could handle a career and even a relationship,” says Jansen, who once told her daughter to ‘get over it’ when she couldn’t get out of bed. “Clinical depression really can destroy people’s lives!”
“This epidemic of depression has just really come to light very recently,” she added. “I’m just so glad that no one I know has had to deal with that.”
Deborah, whose daughter now sees a therapist twice a week to make up for the lack of intervention during her teen years, went on to explain how important it is that we as a society start taking mental health seriously.
“I’ve been reading so many HuffPost articles about mental health lately,” she said. “We all need to start paying attention to the effects that depression can have on people.”
Ms. Jansen’s daughter, Fiona, is unimpressed by her mother’s sudden realization.
“I struggled with depression for so long while I was a teenager,” said Fiona, who is now also being treated for anxiety. “And my mom just told me over and over that I was ‘just going through a sad phase’. This would have been super helpful ten years ago.”
We’re still amazed that Deborah is turning things around!
For Deborah, whose daughter is now on two antidepressants and a mood stabilizer, knowing is half the battle.
“Do I know what it feels like to have clinical depression? Definitely not,” said Deborah. “But my heart breaks for those who are affected.”
When asked about her own daughter’s mental health, she said: “Fiona? She just needs to learn that everybody gets sad sometimes and you just have to fucking deal with it.”
Wow, Deborah! We’re impressed!
