So this morning I woke up to find that Corey Haim was dead. Although cause of death is still pending, it appears to be from an overdose. Doing some research this morning, sources claim he has been battling addiction and depression for years.
This is the fourth death in the last few weeks due to depression.
First it was Andrew Koenig, who we all knew and loved as “Boner” from Growing Pains.
Then Marie Osmond’s son, Michael Blosil, who apparently was a gay man trying to live under the laws of the Mormon Church. He left a note on his bed explaining to his family and friends that he felt like “he didn’t fit in anywhere”.
Next it was Corey Haim. For any 80’s baby he was an idol. The movie “Lost Boys” was a staple in anyone’s VHS collection.
Then finally Andrew “Randy” Kwasniewski, the President and Chief Operation Officer at the Las Vegas Hard Rock Hotel, found by his wife with a self inflicted gun shot wound to his head.
What is going on? Depression is taking over. It concerns and saddens me to no end. We have created a society in which people are not really given the tools to deal with the stressors of everyday life instead they are medicated and self medicate on the regular.
According to UpliftProgram.com: Depressive disorders affect approximately 18.8 million American adults or about 9.5% of the U.S. population age 18 and older in a given year. This includes major depressive disorder, dysthymic disorder, and bipolar disorder.
and
Pre-schoolers are the fastest-growing market for antidepressants. At least four percent of preschoolers — over a million — are clinically depressed.
Wait! Hold up! Pre-schoolers are the fastest growing market for antidepressants??? It seems the answer now is to drug everyone instead of teaching them the how to live.
Now I do believe medication is necessary for some people, don’t get me wrong. Ive definitely seen it help out a number of people.
My problem lies with in the fact that when we write out prescriptions there is not enough cognitive therapy going hand and hand with the medication.
Life’s stressors DO NOT GO AWAY. They change, grow, get worse, get better etc. but never disappear. So are we telling our children that anytime they get a little stressed out … just pop a pill and you will be ok? Wouldn’t it be better if we actually taught them how to help themselves when the stressors arise? I do not want our children to think that by masking emotions things get better. I want them to believe they are in control of their life and that they can dream and create the life they want to live. I want to build self esteem and confidence into our new generations.
Next time you see your child or any child, remind them they are perfect just as they are and that all thing are possible.
Who’s with me on this?
