Providing Support When You Need Support: Caregiving While Depressed
One thing about depression and families: we don’t always have depressive episodes one person at a time. For caregivers, this means that we need to be able to take care of others even as we deal with our own depression. It can be done – and Families for Depression Awareness has strategies and examples to share!
Presenters
Tag Frothingham, parent to a son with depression
Tag Frothingham is a husband and a dad of two teenagers who lives in Harvard, Massachusetts. He lives with depression and also provides support for family members with depression and anxiety. Tag is also a cancer survivor. Although he has worked in software engineering and quality assurance roles for technology companies for most of his career, he worked as a residential counselor while attending Wheaton College and for a few years after. Mental health has remained an important cause for him. In his spare time, you’ll find Tag reading, cooking, riding his bike, or playing with the family dog.
Terry McGuire, parent, daughter to loved ones with depression, Giving Voice to Depression
Terry McGuire’s own mental health story includes living with depression, being raised by a parent with undiagnosed bipolar disorder, and currently caring for a family member who is still struggling to find the proper diagnosis and treatment for his challenges. She also has the stories of hundreds of others. After experiencing her worst-ever depression, Terry launched the Giving Voice to Depression podcast so that others in depression’s pit could hear stories of fellow humans who have been there, too, and found their way out. Terry also started an online Facebook support community where more than 10,000 people find and extend comfort to each other.
Didi Hairston, parent, sibling, daughter to loved ones with depression, Diva with Depression
Didi Hairston creates relatability with her first-hand, personal experience with depression to bring audiences on a journey. By standing in her truth and sharing the reality of depression, without watering it down, Didi removes some of the stigma of depression, opening the door for those who are suffering to seek solutions. Didi’s ‘Diva with Depression’ platform provides insights into the day-to-day experience of dealing with depression. The platform also provides resources and tips to manage symptoms associated with depression to equip those dealing with depression to thrive. RealTalk exposes the myths, stigma, and fear associated with admitting that you may actually need HELP to cope with everyday life, especially as an African American woman.
