Documenting Depression: Highs & Lows

Jess has had a very rough week with her anxiety, BPD & depression with highs and lows.

So many things can happen in a persons life that will impact them significantly. When you suffer from a combination of anxiety, BPD & depression, those significant events carry an even greater impact, creating exceptionally strong highs & lows.

Jess has had such a rough week, with so many things outside her control causing significant difficulty in her life, that she is physically sick, including vomiting, weakness and more.

Once she started feeling better and had gotten some rest, we set out to do what we could do to compensate for the lows.

Jess is a fantastic singer, so after some shopping and relaxation, we went out to sing some karaoke.

Creative activities seem to have the best positive impact. Being able to do something and enjoy the results of a creative pursuit can turn a bad day into a good one. If not singing, Jess also had the option to scrabook, having purchased some new materials.

Later in the evening, though, when we came home, things went sour again.

She had some concerns for another friend suffering from depression, and her own empathy can affect her depression's highs & lows in a noticeable way.

It makes life much more difficult when you're not only trying to maintain some semblance of happiness for yourself, but for others, too. Regardless, Jess is a compassionate person, and does what she can to help the people she's closest too.

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This photo journalism series documents the depression of someone very close to me. She agreed to let me photograph her at the most vulnerable times in her life; not just to share it with you, but to help her understand herself. See the rest of the articles documenting depression here.

Depression affects about 6.7% of adults in the U.S., according to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America. It is also among one of the many misunderstood illnesses that affect society.

Depression isn’t something that can just be turned off. You can’t stop hurting. You can’t “buck up”, “focus on the positive”, or anything else that many people will tell you to do when you’re suffering from clinical depression.

If you know someone who is suffering from depression, please, try to understand what they are going through and support them instead of telling them to cheer up. If you suffer from depression, just know that you’re not alone, no matter how much it feels that way. If you feel like there is no way out, or just need some help, check out NAMI’s support page.