其他
讲堂｜抑郁不是软弱的表现
(Credit: soulspring.org)
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根据世界卫生组织的报告，抑郁症是世界范围内导致疾病和伤残最主要的原因。本期TED演讲者尼基·韦伯·艾伦（Nikki Webber Allen）现身说法，通过分享自己与抑郁症抗争的故事，呼吁同抑郁症抗争的人们不要默默忍受，积极寻求帮助，抑郁和焦虑不是弱者的表现！
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Don’t Suffer from Your Depression in Silence
面对抑郁，不要独撑
“What are you doing on this stage in front of all these people? Run!Run now!” That’s the voice of my anxiety talking.Even when there’s absolutely nothing wrong, I sometimes get this overwhelming sense of doom, like dangerous lurking just around the corner. “你站在这么多人面前做什么？快跑，就现在！”这是我内心的焦虑在说话。即使一切都十分顺利，我也时常会有这种令人窒息的挫败感，仿佛危险就潜伏在角落。
You see, a few years ago, I was diagnosed with generalized anxiety and depression, two conditions that often go hand in hand.Now there was a time I wouldn’t have told anybody, especially not in front of a big audience.As a black woman, I’ve had to develop extraordinary resilience to succeed. 几年前，我被诊断出患有焦虑症和抑郁症，这两种病症经常同时出现。那段时间，我没告诉任何人，也绝不在大众面前提起。作为黑人女性，想要成功必须坚韧非凡。
And like most people in my community, I had the misconception that depression was a sign of weakness, a character flaw.But I wasn’t weak. I was a high achiever. I’d earned a master’s degree in media studies and had a string of high-profile jobs in the film and television industries. I even won two Emmy awards for my hard work.和大多数黑人一样，我视抑郁症为软弱的标志、性格的缺陷。可我并不软弱，相反，我很成功，我取得了媒体研究的硕士学位，在电影和电视行业的工作也备受瞩目。我工作努力，曾两次斩获艾美奖。
Sure, I was totally spent, I lacked interest in things I used to enjoy, barely ate, struggled with insomnia, and isolated and depleted, but depressed no, not me. Took weeks before I could admit it, but the doctor was right, I was depressed.Still, I didn’t tell anybody about my diagnosis.I was too ashamed.当然，我严重透支，对以前热爱的事情提不起兴趣，几乎茶饭不思，夜夜失眠，感到孤独无助、精疲力竭。但是我，抑郁症？不，我不可能。又过了几个星期，我不得不承认，医生是对的，我确实抑郁了。尽管如此，我还是没有告诉任何人，因为我感到羞耻。
I didn’t think I had the right to be depressed. I had a privileged life with a loving family and a successful career.And when I thought about the unspeakable horrors that my ancestors had been through in this country so that I could have it better, my shame grew even deeper.I was standing on their shoulders, how could I let them down? I would hold my head up, put a smile on my face, and never tell a soul. 我无权抑郁。我生活优越，家庭和谐，事业有为。每每想到我的祖先在这个国家经历了深重的苦难，才让后代能拥有更加美好的生活，我就羞愧得无地自容。我站在他们的肩膀上，怎么能让他们失望？我要昂首挺胸，面带笑容，守口如瓶。
On July 4th, 2013, my world came crashing in on me. That was the day I got a phone call from my mom telling me that my 22-year-old nephew, Paul, had ended his life after years of battling depression and anxiety. There are no words that can describe the devastation I felt. 2013年7月4日，我的世界崩溃了。那天，我接到母亲的电话，她说我的外甥保罗，22岁，在跟抑郁症和焦虑症抗争多年后选择了结束自己的生命。我当时的痛苦和绝望难以言说。
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The World Health Organization reports that depression is the leading cause of sickness and disability in the world. But the exact cause of depression isn’t clear.Research suggests that most mental disorders develop, at least in part, because of a chemical imbalance in the brain and or an underlying genetic predisposition,so you can’t just shake it out.世界卫生组织的报告显示，抑郁症是世界范围内导致疾病和残疾的主要原因，但抑郁症的病因尚不明确。研究表明，大多数精神障碍形成的原因，或多或少，是由于大脑中的化学物质失衡，或潜在的遗传倾向，也可能二者兼有，所以不能简单孤立地看待。
For black Americans, stressors like racism and socioeconomic disparities, put them at a 20% greater risk of developing a mental disorder.Yet they seek mental health service is at about half the rate of white Americans. 对于美国黑人来说，来自种族主义和社会经济差异等诸多方面的压力，使他们患上精神障碍的风险增加了20%。然而，他们中寻求心理健康服务的比例只占白人的一半。
One reason is stigma.With 63% of blackAmericans misthinkingdepression for weakness, sadly, the suicide rate among black children has doubled in the past 20 years. Now here’s the good news, 70% of people struggling with depression will improve with therapy, treatment, and medication.Armed with this information, I made a decision: I wasn’t going to be silent anymore.With my family’s blessing, I would share our story in hopes of sparking a national conversation.其中一个原因就是感到耻辱，63%的黑人误认为患抑郁症是弱者的表现，可悲的是，在过去的20年间，黑人儿童的自杀率翻了一番。但好消息是，70%跟抑郁症抗争的人，在治疗和药物治疗的帮助下病情有所改善。掌握了这些信息，我决定不再沉默。有了家人的支撑，我将分享自己的故事，希望能引起全国的讨论。
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Having feelings is not a sign of weakness.Feelings mean we were human, and when we deny our humanity, it leaves us feeling empty inside.Searching for ways to self-medicate in order to fill the void. My drug is high achievement. 多愁善感并不是软弱，这意味着我们是活生生的人，否认自己的人性，只会感到内心空虚。要寻找方法疗补内心空虚，我的解药是有所成就。
These days I share my story openly, and I ask others to share theirs too. I believe that’s what it takes to help people who may be suffering in silence to know that they are not alone, and to know that with help they can heal.Now, I still have my struggles, particularly with the anxiety, but I am able to manage it, throughdaily medication, yoga, and relatively healthy diet.这段时间，我公开分享了自己的故事，也希望别人能分享他们的故事。我相信，通过这种方式能帮助那些在沉默中痛苦挣扎的人，让他们知道自己并不孤单，告诉他们得到帮助就能痊愈。现在，我仍然在抗争着，尤其是克服焦虑，我相信通过日常的药物治疗、瑜伽和健康的饮食，我能战胜它。
If I feel like things are starting to spiral and make an appointment to see my therapist, a dynamic black woman named Don Armstrong, who has a great sense of humor and a familiarity that I find comforting. I will always regret that I couldn’t be there for my nephew. 如果感到情况不妙，我就会约见治疗师，她叫道恩•阿姆斯特朗，是位充满活力的黑人女性。她很幽默，平易近人，让我很安心。但我永远为没能帮到我外甥感到遗憾。
But my sincerest hope is that I can inspire others the lesson that I’ve learned. Life is beautiful. Sometimes it is messy and it is always unpredictable.But it will all be okay when you have your support system to help you through it. Hope that if your burden gets too heavy, you’ll ask for a hand too, thank you.我真诚地希望大家能从我这里吸取教训。生活是美好的，有时一团糟，有时无法预料，但当你找到能支撑自己渡过难关的方法时，一切都会好起来。希望你在快撑不下去的时候，也能向别人寻求帮助，谢谢。