Depression… Maybe I should counteract it with….Botox?

I’m always amazed at how ignorant people are…

…and I know “ignorance is bliss”, but honestly a little bit of empathy goes a long long way.

Danii Minouge’s “revelation” that she slipped into depression while her sister was undergoing treatment for breast cancer, and when one of her friends passed away, is not something uncommon in the community.  But to counteract it with Botox?

Now I know I am not really one to talk, because to counteract anxiety and depression I have been known on many an occasion to drink, sometimes excessively, sometimes not.  I have been known to use the noxious poison to handle the shakes and the jitters that come with anxiety attacks.  But we know exactly what and how the chemical reactions of alcohol effect our bodies (and the stupid stupid things we do while drinking the stuff).

But, botox?  A potentially, hell not potentially, an indefinite poison.  This is the kind of stuff that if an amount that was the size of a 5c piece was released into the atmosphere has the potential to kill 4.5 million people, and you inject it INTO your face?  WHAT?  It also has the potential that, if injected incorrectly, to cause major brain damage.

Apart from that, I’m not sure how doing something aesthetically pleasing would help with a medical condition that is brain based?  Especially emotionally/ cognitively based.

On top of that I think back to when my friend John was sick, and the tireless efforts of his family.  His mother who gave up work to look after him, as well as his father, and his extremely brave brother who never complained, all the way until the end.  They worked tirelessly to make sure that he was comfortable, I couldn’t imagine what it would have been like to watch someone you love so dearly pass under such circumstances.  It was hard enough to watch him as a friend, and not be able to do anything.
Wouldn’t you think it would be mentally pleasing to instead of spending however much money on Botox, sitting with your family and talking might be a better solution Danni?  Going to a counselor (which you can afford, unlike the many millions of people who are in need of desperate mental health treatment, but governments fob off with bullshit excuses) might be a better solution than paralysing your face with a dangerous bacteria?

It all just confuses and angers me.  Not because we know she has problems, not because she is a z-grade celebrity riding on her sisters coat-tails, but the whole ignorance to depression.  Which in this story seems to be a resolutely bad cover up for something that is none of anyone’s business anyway.

Dear editors, do a REAL article on depression.  An article of people in the midst, and those that have over-come it.  Not just a faff piece about “oh I went to see a brilliant counsellor, and we worked through it in 6 weeks.”  So not true.  The changing of ones behaviors and re-aligning one with their beliefs and values, DOES NOT TAKE 6 WEEKS!
That first 6 weeks, of counseling is get-to-know-you time, to really get to know who a person is, and how they deal with situations, and the people around them.   Then the real work starts, and it isn’t a matter of a few weeks, it takes months (even years in severe cases).  People will fall back, they will make mistakes, they can make those mistakes at any part of thier treatment, they need support during this period, because the need to be reminded that you can pick up where you left off, and that you are not taking 5 steps backwards is EVIDENT!  Then on top of that, there is the fun medication ween off, which needs to be done as therapy is being done.  So that the physical side effects can be dealt with as well.  So that the body can learn to regulate again.

I will take my angry pants off one day, when people decided to do the right thing by their patients, then again, the patients have to do the right thing by their psychologists and psychiatrists.  Tell the truth, be honest, and you will see the maximum results, and never ever be afraid to try someone new if your current psych is making you uncomfortable.  Also know though, that there will be moments where what your psych will say will scare the bejesus out of you!  Listen and consider what they say, really think about it, if it still doesn’t sit right with you, then move on.  It’s not a matter of them not understanding you, they are trying to help you, but you both need to come to a compromise to make what you are working towards, something that you can achieve.