• The Panacea

    May is Mental Health Awareness Month, an issue that is personal to me as I’ve spent the second twenty years of my life battling anxiety and depression. Last year, I wrote a piece for The Good Men Project about The Anxiety and Depression Stigma. I hope we’ve made some progress since then to end the stigma.

    One of the reasons for the unfair stigma is the misconception about what it’s like to live with anxiety and depression. There’s a perception that if you’re depressed, you can’t get out of bed or do your job.

    For many who struggle, including me, that’s not usually how it manifests itself. It affects me in different ways, subtle ways, sometimes silly ways.

    But ways nonetheless.

  • The Anxiety and Depression Stigma

    depression

     

    “Why do you go all the way to Bergenfield to pick up your Xanax pills?” my wife Lauren asked me.

    “Drive-thru window. I can avoid people.”

    “I think they should up your dose.”

    I was joking actually. I love going inside, grabbing a Snickers bar (or M&M’s if I’m on a diet) and eating it while I wait for my prescription. 1 <—– CLICK ON THESE RED BOXES FOR MY TERRIBLE JOKES

    The real reason I travel to Bergenfield is the pharmacy clerk at the Walgreens near us always says the name of your prescription loudly to confirm the medication is correct. And, of course, half the store then hears what horse tranquilizer my doctor has prescribed to keep me upright.