No need to be alone with depression, anxiety and fear

By Amy Ohm

Founder & President, Treatment Diaries

Depression is 15-20% higher for the chronically ill than for the average and roughly one in four adults suffer from a diagnosable mental disorder in a given year.

Many illnesses can lead to depression, anxiety and fear. Living with any of the three, or a combination, can be both isolating and debilitating. No one should feel alone, in fact most often connecting with others who share your condition can be incredibly empowering and beneficial in coping with the day to day challenges which come our way. Too often our friends and family struggle with how best to support us in addition to understanding our conditions.

There are numerous social networking sites enabling the connection of family and friends as a means of providing updates on a medical procedure or overall wellbeing following a surgical event. Few sites, however, capture the daily struggles of coping with a condition(s) with anonymity and international reach to those who share conditions and want to show support. Why is this important? Most begin to feel guilty sharing the details of their condition(s) with family members/friends and would rather connect with those who have empathy and understanding and seek the same level of support. As much as our families love us, they can never truly grasp the challenge without having personally lived it.

TreatmentDiaries.com is a comforting place for people just like you; journal your experiences and express your feelings privately or with others; it’s a place to heal. This growing community is a place for ALL those in need of a sounding board for emotional, physical and general support needs, including those experiences which come from living with a chronic illness. Connect across more than 1,400 illnesses, including rare conditions, with people just like you; caregivers, family members and advocates. Receive encouragement, learn from others, be inspired and never feel alone.

What users are saying…

“It is hard when the ones closest to you don’t really want to talk about it...it is really sad...but I think through the help of a website like this we can all get through this together.”
“Just being able to be supportive of other people on this site helps my mental attitude and the support and friendship people offer is tremendous.”
“Thanks for sharing and hopefully inspiring those of us who, at times feel at wits end that we have the power to help ourselves. Something so simple can have so much impact in so many ways.”
“Thank you for letting me talk in words that I have a hard time saying out loud.”

The networking site is dedicated to the needs of all types of users and the importance of keeping a diary of life-changing experiences and the significance of engaging in behaviors and activities which promote health, mental wellness and the self-management of chronic conditions.

TreatmentDiaries.com was inspired by real stories of people struggling with chronic conditions and in desperate need of support. The goal is to connect those facing similar circumstances and facilitate the sharing of valuable information and support at every stage of an illness through wellness. Finding and sharing genuine information and experiences is a powerful thing, and this tool gives people the opportunity to do just that.

For more information log on to http://www.treatmentdiaries.com/ or by email at [email protected]