sister Fatou, the psot still came out with big spaces. but i will paste along a lift up from another place. thanks for the good piece. 
   
  Okay, so this is a topic, that as Gambians, we do not really talk about.
   
  Depression..
   
   Sometimes I think Our culture does not really recognize the signs of depression, meanwhile, many Gambians suffer from the symptoms, but are cautious to express their feelings and pains, or seek help.. because we worry about our dirty laundry being displayed out there For everyone to see.
   
  The truth is, this fear is justified, as a few Gambians know how to be confidential about other people’s private lives.. Even the ones who offer to help, end up, telling either their wives husbands etc or best friends who in turn go around telling others.
   
  And then, not only does one have to worry about the problems you are having, but then you also have to worry about the rumors and gossip that are spreading about you. Which personally, I believe you should not worry yourself too much about.. People will always talk about you.
   
  But the truth is, depression is not something to be ashamed of, The best of us go through it.. Presidents, doctors, lawyers, religious people, our parents etc..
   
  The problem, is not getting help, which i know is a big step, and we are all afraid to do.
  There have been many cases of people breaking down, and then being called crazy.. Recently a Gambian girl , after going through so much trauma, broke down, and was arrested and taken to a mental institution.. She is not crazy, she just recently went through a painful and traumatic experience and this is soon after having a baby. 

  

  Her case is not the only case… there are so many more. What are we doing in our communities, in Gambia As well as abroad to educate and help our brothers and sisters? Especially abroad where depression is most likely to occur.
   
  I know exactly what is going on in her head, as I Personally after being Mentally and physically abused for years, and after going through a traumatic experience a week after my daughter was born, almost had a breakdown and those events have affected my life ever since. But Instead of having a mental break down, i put up a shield as a defense mechanism for this not to happen to me again. I act like everything is okay, but the truth is, those events are still as painful as the day they happened.
   
  The Fact is, whether you break down or not, there will be events in your life that happen to you as a result of something that happened to you in the past. Sooner or later, you will break down. Sometimes, you are sad, and don't even know why.
  

  Who do you turn to when this happens? Your Family, your friends, your religious leaders and very importantly your Doctor. Depression occurs due to a chemical imbalance within your brain. It needs to be treated, not matter how mild your symptoms are.
   
  The Best thing is to learn how to live for today, not dwell on the past, and think about all the good things you want for yourself in the future.
   
  But Not everyone is able to go back to normal after a painful event in their life, Death, loss of property, financial issues, living far away from your family Divorce, Physical and mental abuse. These are things that happen to everyone including Gambians. We all need help.
   
  Ultimately, the more faith, you have in God, the most likely you will learn to find peace. But reality is we need more support. And we need to identify the signs of depression we are having.
   
  I have said this often, our religious leaders need to be more proactive in helping out people. Death is painful, but there are so many things that are affecting people that are ignored.. How about reaching out to a man or woman, who has gone through a painful divorce? or financial difficulties, or lost their job etc. Go to them, if they do not come to you.
   
  We also need to reach out to our religious leaders as well and make use of them. Contact them, when you have painful feelings and thoughts etc.
   
  Also please tell your doctor about your feelings, he will then recommend a therapist who can help you. And remember, just because you take depression pills, does not mean you are a certified nut case. it means you need temporary help getting through something.
   
  Make good use of your friends, the good ones, who will keep your problems private. There is nothing worse than having a friend who exposes your problems to others.. That can cause you even more depression.
  

  And I say often, if someone has problems, attempt to help them, but if you don't plan to help them, leave them alone and let them get the help they need. Do not talk about them and hurt them even more by starting gossip. Be fearful of the effect  that you may have in someone’s life and the consequences of your tongue flapping all over the place.
   
  I am not an expert, but, below I listed, some of the signs of depression, the signs of depression can vary from person to person.
   
  Feeling sad and down all the time
  No longer interested in activities you used to like
  Crying about every thing
  Hopelessness
  Not sleeping at night
  Trouble focusing on things
  Losing weight
  Putting on weight (this is probably why many Gambians are a bit overweight)
  Irritability
  Restlessness
  Fatigue
  Getting annoyed at every little thing
  Sexual problems, lack of interest,
  Unexplained illnesses, always sick, physical body aches, headaches et
   
  You are probably depressed if you any of these signs,
  

  Let us not let our culture prevent us from seeking the help we need

  

  Your thoughts..

  

  Thanks
  

  Fatou Dibba

  

Ms Dibba <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
  Well i don't know what happened to my post there, those weird huge gaps between paragraphs, but then for the past two days, my post have been sent back to me. hehehe, so i am glad to be in the system again.. but anyhow, i am sending the text again below.. hopefully it turns out normal. so you can read it and not scroll down so far... hehehe   Okay lets try this again..








Okay, so this is a topic, that as Gambians, we do not really
talk about.



 



Depression..



 



 Sometimes I think Our
culture does not really recognize the signs of depression, meanwhile, many
Gambians suffer from the symptoms, but are cautious to express their feelings
and pains, or seek help.. because we worry about our dirty laundry being
displayed out there For everyone to see.



 



The truth is, this fear is justified, as a few Gambians know
how to be confidential about other people’s private lives.. Even the ones who
offer to help, end up, telling either their wives husbands etc or best friends
who in turn go around telling others.



 



And then, not only does one have to worry about the problems
you are having, but then you also have to worry about the rumors and gossip
that are spreading about you. Which personally, I believe you should not worry
yourself too much about.. People will always talk about you.



 



But the truth is, depression is not something to be ashamed
of, The best of us go through it.. Presidents, doctors, lawyers, religious
people, our parents etc..



 



The problem, is not getting help, which i know is a big
step, and we are all afraid to do.



There have been many cases of people breaking down, and then
being called crazy.. Recently a Gambian girl , after going through so much
trauma, broke down, and was arrested and taken to a mental institution.. She is
not crazy, she just recently went through a painful and traumatic experience
and this is soon after having a baby. Her case is not the only case… there are
so many more. What are we doing in our communities, in Gambia As well as abroad
to educate and help our brothers and sisters? Especially abroad where
depression is most likely to occur



 



I know exactly what is going on in her head, as I Personally
after being Mentally and physically abused for years, and after going through a
traumatic experience a week after my daughter was born, almost had a breakdown
and those events have affected my life ever since. But Instead of having a
mental break down, i put up a shield as a defense mechanism for this not to
happen to me again. I act like everything is okay, but the truth is, those
events are still as painful as the day they happened.



 



The Fact is, whether you break down or not, there will be
events in your life that happen to you as a result of something that happened
to you in the past. Sooner or later, you break down. Sometimes, you are sad,
and don't even know why.



Who do you turn to when this happens? Your Family, your friends,
your religious leaders and very importantly your Doctor. Depression occurs due
to a chemical imbalance within your brain. It needs to be treated, not matter
how mild your symptoms are.



 



The Best thing is to learn how to live for today, not dwell
on the past, and think about all the good things you want for yourself in the
future.



 



But Not everyone is able to go back to normal after a
painful event in their life, Death, loss of property, financial issues, living
far away from your family Divorce, Physical and mental abuse. These are things
that happen to everyone including Gambians. We all need help.



 



Ultimately, the more faith, you have in God, the most likely
you will learn to find peace. But reality is we need more support. And we need
to identify the signs of depression we are having.



 



I have said this often, our religious leaders need to be
more proactive in helping out people. Death is painful, but there are so many
things that are affecting people that are ignored.. How about reaching out to a
man or woman, who has gone through a painful divorce? or financial
difficulties, or lost their job etc. Go to them, if they do not come to you.



 



We need to reach out to our religious leaders as well and
make use of them. Contact them, when you have painful feelings and thoughts
etc.



 



Also please tell your doctor about your feelings, he will
then recommend a therapist who can help you. And remember, just because you
take depression pills, does not mean you are a certified nut case. it means you
need temporary help getting through something.



 



Make good use of your friends, the good ones, who will keep
your problems private. There is nothing worse than having a friend who exposes
your problems to others.. That can cause you more depression.



And I say often, if someone has problems, attempt to help
them, but if you don't plan to help them, leave them alone and let them get the
help they need, do not talk about them and hurt them even more by starting
gossip. Be fearful of the effect you have in someone’s life and the
consequences of your tongue flapping all over the place.



 



I am not an expert, but i do speak from experience, below I
listed, some of the signs of depression, the signs of depression can vary from
person to person.



 



Feeling sad and down all the time



No longer interested in activities you used to like



Crying about every thing



Hopelessness



Not sleeping at night



Trouble focusing on things



Losing weight



Putting on weight (this is probably why many Gambian are a
bit overweight)



Irritability



Restlessness



Fatigue



Getting annoyed at every little thing



Sexual problems, lack of interest,



Unexplained illnesses, always sick, physical body aches,
headaches et



 



You are probably depressed if you any of these signs,



Let us not let our culture prevent us from seeking the help
we need



 



Your thoughts please



Thanks Fatou


  










-----Original Message-----
From: Ms Dibba 
To: [log in to unmask]
Sent: Tue, 1 Jul 2008 7:23 pm
Subject: The Unspoken Depression of Gambians










Okay, so this is a topic, that as Gambians, we do not really
talk about.



 



Depression..



 



 Sometimes I think Our
culture does not really recognize the signs of depression, meanwhile, many
Gambians suffer from the symptoms, but are cautious to express their feelings
and pains, or seek help.. because we worry about our dirty laundry being
displayed out there For everyone to see.



 



The truth is, this fear is justified, as a few Gambians know
how to be confidential about other people’s private lives.. Even the ones who
offer to help, end up, telling either their wives husbands etc or best friends
who in turn go around telling others.



 



And then, not only does one have to worry about the problems
you are having, but then you also have to worry about the rumors and gossip
that are spreading about you. Which personally, I believe you should not worry
yourself too much about.. People will always talk about you.



 



But the truth is, depression is not something to be ashamed
of, The best of us go through it.. Presidents, doctors, lawyers, religious
people, our parents etc..



 



The problem, is not getting help, which i know is a big
step, and we are all afraid to do.



There have been many cases of people breaking down, and then
being called crazy.. Recently a Gambian girl , after going through so much
trauma, broke down, and was arrested and taken to a mental institution.. She is
not crazy, she just recently went through a painful and traumatic experience
and this is soon after having a baby. Her case is not the only case… there are
so many more. What are we doing in our communities, in Gambia As well as abroad
to educate and help our brothers and sisters? Especially abroad where
depression is most likely to occur



 



I know exactly what is going on in her head, as I Personally
after being Mentally and physically abused for years, and after going through a
traumatic experience a week after my daughter was born, almost had a breakdown
and those events have affected my life ever since. But Instead of having a
mental break down, i put up a shield as a defense mechanism for this not to
happen to me again. I act like everything is okay, but the truth is, those
events are still as painful as the day they happened.



 



The Fact is, whether you break down or not, there will be
events in your life that happen to you as a result of something that happened
to you in the past. Sooner or later, you break down. Sometimes, you are sad,
and don't even know why.



Who do you turn to when this happens? Your Family, your friends,
your religious leaders and very importantly your Doctor. Depression occurs due
to a chemical imbalance within your brain. It needs to be treated, not matter
how mild your symptoms are.



 



The Best thing is to learn how to live for today, not dwell
on the past, and think about all the good things you want for yourself in the
future.



 



But Not everyone is able to go back to normal after a
painful event in their life, Death, loss of property, financial issues, living
far away from your family Divorce, Physical and mental abuse. These are things
that happen to everyone including Gambians. We all need help.



 



Ultimately, the more faith, you have in God, the most likely
you will learn to find peace. But reality is we need more support. And we need
to identify the signs of depression we are having.



 



I have said this often, our religious leaders need to be
more proactive in helping out people. Death is painful, but there are so many
things that are affecting people that are ignored.. How about reaching out to a
man or woman, who has gone through a painful divorce? or financial
difficulties, or lost their job etc. Go to them, if they do not come to you.



 



We need to reach out to our religious leaders as well and
make use of them. Contact them, when you have painful feelings and thoughts
etc.



 



Also please tell your doctor about your feelings, he will
then recommend a therapist who can help you. And remember, just because you
take depression pills, does not mean you are a certified nut case. it means you
need temporary help getting through something.



 



Make good use of your friends, the good ones, who will keep
your problems private. There is nothing worse than having a friend who exposes
your problems to others.. That can cause you more depression.



And I say often, if someone has problems, attempt to help
them, but if you don't plan to help them, leave them alone and let them get the
help they need, do not talk about them and hurt them even more by starting
gossip. Be fearful of the effect you have in someone’s life and the
consequences of your tongue flapping all over the place.



 



I am not an expert, but i do speak from experience, below I
listed, some of the signs of depression, the signs of depression can vary from
person to person.



 



Feeling sad and down all the time



No longer interested in activities you used to like



Crying about every thing



Hopelessness



Not sleeping at night



Trouble focusing on things



Losing weight



Putting on weight (this is probably why many Gambian are a
bit overweight)



Irritability



Restlessness



Fatigue



Getting annoyed at every little thing



Sexual problems, lack of interest,



Unexplained illnesses, always sick, physical body aches,
headaches et



 



You are probably depressed if you any of these signs,



Let us not let our culture prevent us from seeking the help
we need



 



Your thoughts please






Thanks Fatou 





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