Within 48 hours, the world was struck by two shocking suicides – Kate Spade and Anthony Bourdain. Two brilliant minds. Two incredible people who made a true difference. Two lives gone in an instant, seemingly without warning. Depression is silent and SO deadly. I would know. I’ve been suffering from depression since I was about 17 years old. I was diagnosed way back then and have experienced different forms of treatment. In the past I’ve opened up about my depression, because I feel like being honest may help someone else. I’d like to continue sharing my story, because I’m not ashamed. And if you suffer from mental illness, you shouldn’t be either.
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I graduated from Arizona State University in May 2011. I was 22 years old. Needless to say, I was pretty proud of myself! A Bachelor’s degree already at the age of 22 and I now had my entire life ahead of me. But I also needed a job. That was fine with me – I was ready to start making money instead of spending it on student loans. The problem? I couldn’t get a job in my field of study, which was history and culture. I went to school to be a high school history teacher but by the time I was ready to graduate with my Bachelor’s, I still needed to get certified as a teacher. Forget it. I started applying for jobs. On August 1, 2011, I started a job as a banker. Little did I know, it was the beginning of a miserable career that would turn into a dream come true.