Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Help, Please

Heads up: this post contains adult content not suitable for children. I struggled for a bit with whether or not to say something in this space, but I'm determined to use every means at my disposal to find help. Not for me, for my brother Damien. Damien has struggled with depression since he was 11 years old. Last Saturday, he shot himself in the neck. By some miracle, he unintentionally used the wrong type of bullet. Instead of passing through his head and exiting, it fragmented. It entered his mouth from underneath his chin, impacted the roof of his mouth and dispersed into his face behind his left eye. He lost a lot of blood and broke a lot of bones, but he is going to recover. Physically, he will recover. The reason I'm mentioning it here is that we have greater concerns beyond his physical health. As my Mom put, the surgeons can put his body back together, but who will mend his broken heart? Our family already has a good deal of experience with depression. Experience, we've got. Solutions? Not so much. Damien has been so depressed for so long that he has lost all hope of recovering, so while his body mends we are trying to gather as many options for him to choose from as possible and save him some of the search. We are reading books, we are Googling, we are asking for recommendations. He has tried a few antidepressants with no success, but there wasn't a lot of diagnostic work prior to determining which antidepressant might be best for him. So please, anyone with any suggestions, please share. If you know of a good book, therapist, drug, supplement, alternative therapy, someone who's overcome depression who could offer some insight, anything that might be helpful, please don't keep it to yourself. Damien has a large, supportive family and we will do anything to help him win this battle, but we're not quite sure exactly what to do besides love him and be with him. And of course, please remember Damien in your prayers. He really, really needs them. I will open my blog to anonymous comments, or you can e-mail me directly at contraopinionem@hotmail.com. All e-mails, comments or suggestions will be kept anonymous.

4 comments:

Unknown said...

Dear Tirzah, i am so proud of your stregth. I read your blog...sat there numb for 45 seconds and then burst into tears. Poor sweet Damien.

Kayleen said...

Tirzah: Unfortunately I have absolutely no advice or recommendations to give you and your family. However, I hope you have some comfort knowing that lots of people at St. John's are praying for him, Mike and I included. There are a great many people in the world who don't even have that. I hope he will wake up with a new lease on life and find reasons to live and live well.

Anonymous said...

Hey Tirzah,
I am so so so so so sorry to hear about this difficult time for you. I am glad your family is so supportive and ready, with open minds and hearts, to do anything to help their loved one.
I battled depression for a while, and though my illness was not as severe or extensive as Damien's, I found light therapy to be EXTREMELY helpful. Even going in to tan once or twice a week (no more than 10-15 mins per session) saw a huge difference in my attitude. Also, meditating helped immensely. The other thing you may want to have checked out is Damien's thyroid gland and make sure his TSH levels are normal. Sometimes an underactive/overactive thyroid can cause SEVERE depression if left untreated. Other symptoms are weight loss/gain problems, carpal tunnel, digestive issues, insomnia. It's a simple blood test and you'd be surprised by how many people in the NW have this problem. Docs are not sure what the correlation is but something to do with the sun and pituitary glands. Changing his diet to totally remove processed sugars and white flour can help too.

PHEW- also, I see this AMAZING AMAZING acupuncturist who is treating me with herbs and acupunture session and I swear, the man is a crazy healer. He predicted my miscarriage months before it happened and is now helping us with balancing my hormones. One week with this guy and I feel totally different. His information is:

Wang, Xue Zhi D, LAc
Acupuncture
University Healing Center
4115 University Way NE Ste 110
Seattle, Washington 98105
206-547-2435


I hope everything works out for you guys. I will keep you in my prayers and thoughts.

Hugs,
Eva

Anonymous said...

please find a doctor willing to combine anti-depressants such as,but not limited to, prozac with wellbutrin. Current therapy is finding this a much more effective treatment than a slap shot approach ..and of course Damien will need to be in counseling as the correct medications and combinations are worked out.It's tricky business figuring out the meds to beat this bodily chemical imbalance plus recovery from the physical injuries.