Abnormal Spychology – My Father’s Birthday Party

Depression or anxiety are very common in our society, there are condition that are very hard to detect among people. If depression or anxiety is severe, a person requires medical treatment before he/she gets better. Just like, if you were in an accident and had a deep cut, you don’t except that to heal by itself. It requires a treatment that helps it heal, without doing so it might damage you physically are mentally. Most people in our society, imagine depression equals “being sad,” unless you have experienced depression yourself, you might not know it goes so much deeper than that. As I have learned in my pervious psychology, depression expresses itself in many ways, some more obvious than others while some people have a hard time getting out of bed. Other waking up might come easily to them, overall depression and anxiety is expressed in different ways for everyone.

Too often, I tend to assume negatively when people can’t meet my obligation. Unless somebody has a major disability, it is hard to tell if they are not meeting my obligation purposely or because of a mental health illness. Unless I know the symptoms of the mental health illness my first though is to assume that the individual is lazy or doesn’t understand what I’m asking for he/she to accomplish. I start to think to myself that the person doesn’t like me because they won’t meet my obligations. It is also, disappointing when you trust an individual and when you ask them to perform a certain task and they can’t do it because of anxiety or depression. It feels like they are slowing you down. Sometimes it helps to remember that it’s not their fault they can’t really control it because their anxiety and depression takes over and it tells them how to live their personal life’s, and how to respond to people questions.

For example, couple weeks ago it was my father’s 70th birthday. I invited my sister in law, to come celebrate my dad’s 70th birthday with us in Salt Lake City Utah. She asked, how many people will be at my father’s birthday party and where is it going to be, and how long it will be. I thought to myself all this questions that she was asking are irrelevant to the question I asked her. She finally, answered that she can’t make it to my father’s 70th birthday party. Because she was tired and wasn’t feeling too good. This wasn’t a good enough reason to not come to my father’s birthday party. I started to judge her in my mind and calling her lazy. I guess my mind took over, and I didn’t even realize what I was saying and thinking at the time. Her response triggered my thoughts and my response to her was very negative. At the time, I didn’t realize she had major depression. I just thought that she was being rude and trying to be purposefully antisocial.

I have come to realize, often when people are feeling bad they don’t want to go out and do anything. Everything feels just too hard. I have learned to encourage them to do something with them with great support. Other time I have come to understand, that it is important to explain things much clearly and give people options before I give them an obligation, this lessons the chance of saying no. Sometimes depressed and anxious people have a lonely experience. I have learned that the most important thing, is supporting people and never judge them because of not meeting your expectations or obligation they have to you. Before my negative assumptions takes over, it helps to remember that we all experience some of depression symptoms from time to time. It also, helps me think positively when I remember, that in our society we are not obligated to do anything. but not doing anything might have some consequences.