Reclamation: How I Am Surviving Depression and Using the Illness to Elevate Others

Authors

  • Andrew Calderaro University of Tennessee, College of Social Work

Keywords:

depression, mood disorder, suicide, binging, substance abuse, therapy, grassroots support organization, GSO, helping profession, social work, self-care, non-profit.

Abstract

Roughly 25 million people suffer major depressive breakdowns annually. Depression is predicted to supplant cancer soon as the second leading cause of death in the United States.  This narrative is a young social worker’s reflection on his bout with clinical depression, how he used it to empower others by founding and directing a grassroots support organization (GSO), and how he reclaimed his health.  An unabashedly candid piece, this story inherently combats depression’s stigma, adds texture to the usual list of depressive symptoms, and illustrates that real-world grassroots tactics can empower others.  This narrative also explores the process of helping and being helped and the people involved in these processes.  Both general community members and helping professionals alike can combat depression and other mood disorders by being open about this illness and embracing productive grassroots tactics.

Author Biography

Andrew Calderaro, University of Tennessee, College of Social Work

Andrew Calderaro, MSW graduated from the Silberman School of Social Work at CUNY-Hunter College with a concentration in community organizing, planning, and development. He is currently a PhD student in social work at the University of Tennessee, College of Social Work. His research interests include American Reconstruction, social welfare policy, social race construction, community formation and advocacy, microaggressions, and mood disorders. He can be contacted at ACalder1@vols.utk.edu.

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Published

2015-11-16

How to Cite

Calderaro, A. (2015). Reclamation: How I Am Surviving Depression and Using the Illness to Elevate Others. Reflections: Narratives of Professional Helping, 20(1), 42–50. Retrieved from https://reflectionsnarrativesofprofessionalhelping.org/index.php/Reflections/article/view/197