NATIONAL DEPRESSION AWARENESS WEEK
17th APR 2006 – 24th APR 2006
What is National Depression Awareness Week?
National Depression Awareness Week (or NDA) is a key time of the year in event calendars for many charities or campaigners whereby they try to promote awareness of depression. This could be in the form of newsletters, newspapers, articles, campaigns, advertising and fund raising. With depression being such a debilitating condition funds need to be raised to support the work of charities like Depression Alliance to enable them to continue their work long into the future.
It is important to recognise that depression affects approximately 1 in 5 people at any one time. Anyone can suffer from depression at any time in their life. Usually depression affects people after they have gone through a traumatic life experience. Issues build up, problems are not resolved and minds dwell on negative thoughts.
Depression affects people in numerous ways. A person suffering from depression can find it hard to get into the day-to-day activities that life has to offer them. They lack motivation, energy and enthusiasm, relationships can breakdown, jobs can become extremely difficult to do, concentration levels suffer and the isolation felt by a depressive becomes paramount. If left untreated the illness can develop to such a severe extent that a person can consider suicide as their last resort to a way out of he pain they are suffering.
There are many cures and options available to assist a person who may suffering with depression, but these tools need to be made available to people in the first place. So by providing support to the charities that need it the most, you could actually be saving a life.
So how can you help?
You could organise a fundraising event…Whether it be a walking challenge, a party, a month without chocolate, a day without talking (sponsored silence)… use your imagination and come up with something interesting and exciting whereby other people will be happy to sponsor you.
You can then create a sponsorship page at http://www.justgiving.com/depression/raisemoney This is a safe environment. You do not need to worry about cash or cheques as the money is sent electronically.
You could make a donation…Charities are just that, charities. They receive little or no government funding whatsoever and in order to continue to provide their services, they usually rely heavily on membership and donations. Every penny raised will go towards raising awareness of depression and contributing towards the continual service of charities that rely so heavily on people’s generosity.
You could put up posters around your workplace, school or collage… You can be inventive and create your own designs or you could download the poster from depressionalliance.org (available from beginning of march). Either way you will be providing awareness of depression and National Depression Awareness Week.
Go on – do your bit today… you never know, one day it could be you who needs the support!
Author reserves all rights to this article (c) Samantha C Weaver
Samantha Weaver is the Author of Saving Samantha: A Young Woman's Escape from Childhood Hell, due for release 17 Apr-2006. Find out more about Sam and her experience of depression by visiting her website at: http://www.samanthaweaver.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Samantha_Weaver
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