Finished reading "Hike for Mike"

As previously promised, I will report on the book "Hike for Mike" that I just finally finished reading. The book was written by a guy whose brother-in-law had committed suicide after suffering with undiagnosed depression. The hike of the John Muir Trail in the Sierra's was done as way to bring awareness to depression sufferers and their families. Unfortunately, the bulk of the book is really just about hiking with a few references along the way to the reason for the hike. The authors' understanding of depression is rather simplified with often the comment being " if he had just gotten treatment for the depression he would have been fine". Now, we all know that being diagnosed does not mean we are all fixed and ready to go. Even with medication it is often a game of guess and guess again to try to find the right combination of drug and dosage. I don't want to downplay the importance of diagnosis but it really is only the beginning of a lifetime of treatment which may include meds., counseling or both with constant diligence required. This is often where our support system comes in. Allowing people to know about our condition is part of the plan towards a better, healthier life. When there are people in our lives who will ask the tough questions then we are less likely to stay in our lows. Remember to let someone in! People really do care but they can only help if we let them.