Lifting Yourself.... Out of a kiddie pool.

    I would like to preface this blog post by saying I understand far too well the struggles of the severely depressed. I have had immediate family members that have been hospitalized due to the severity of their depression and I myself have occasionally danced with it, having once spent an entire summer laying in bed eating once a week because I lacked the energy or motivation to get up and eat. So I understand very well how difficult life can be for those with depression and how daily life can be a struggle. I also believe that mentally ill college students should have more resources available to them to help them with this struggle. I just do not think this website does an adequate job filling this role.
    I would like to start off by praising one aspect of the blog that I found important and that was mentioning that this is intended to be a supplementary treatment to go along with psychological/psychiatric treatment. It can sometimes be incredibly helpful to individuals with certain mental illnesses to be able to speak with other people that have the same disorder, have had similar experiences, and thus can understand their life far better than a typically-developed individual could ever be capable of. However, I do not think this website provides a service that the patient cannot receive elsewhere. As indicated in the presentation, other websites/chatroom services exist to allow a person with depression to speak with other patients around the world. Additionally, many therapists provide opportunities for group therapy sessions, allowing patients to work to manage their symptoms together. In this aspect, Lifting Yourself does not deliver anything revolutionary. Its main selling point is the centers located in each major city that offer group activities to patients that come out. However, I believe this assumes a certain level of functioning of the patient that it is not safe to assume. As mentioned in the presentation itself, many people with a depressive disorder find it hard to muster the energy to do basic things like clean their home or go to class. If these basic tasks can prove to be a challenge, I find it hard to believe that they would be willing to drive to Shelby Farms to engage in yoga. If I, at the nadir of my depression, would not go to the kitchen to make a sandwich, I doubt I would have driven to Dance-a-Thon either. The opportunity to meet and socialize with other patients in a non-clinical setting is an important aspect, to be sure, but it shouldn't be the main focus of a depression program when it is only the least severe cases that will benefit from it.