Paragraph four reads: "So, there I was, missing my family and friends, crying secretly, feeling sad and empty. It wasn’t long before my husband noticed it. "You seem to be depressed.' He took me to the family doctor. Within several minutes, I was diagnosed with depression and prescribed my firstantidepressant medication."
Paragraphs six and seven read: "For the first two to three months, the medication seemed to be working. And then it stopped. The doctor prescribed another medication, then another one. Then he increased the dosage. But instead of getting better, I was only getting worse. I cried and cried and didn’t want to go out. Nothing interested me. Life lost its appeal. I wanted to die! My husband couldn’t handle it any longer. He left me and filed for divorce."
"I agreed. I didn’t care. 'So, that’s the end of it.' I flushed the medication down the toilet and prepared to die. But surprise I didn’t! Instead, I started getting better. I realized that it is possible to deal with depression in a different way. I bought a book Dealing with Depression Naturally and found out many alternative ways of getting rid of my problem. Have you ever heard of 'alternative medicine'?"
They all tried to help me my husband, my doctor. Only I was not depressed! I was going through the second stage of culture shock.
Eliza Mikhaylova
I immigrated to Canada with my husband several years ago. Actually, my husband came first and I was eager to join him. I was looking forward to the new life, our own place and our future children. We were full of hope and ready to work hard. What could go wrong?
Well, the first two weeks were exciting. I felt like a tourist. We were exploring the strange new city Toronto and checking out all it had to offer. But the initial excitement began to fade. I started missing my friends and my family in Russia. The “tourist stage” was over.
Do you know what the five stages of “culture shock” are? I didn’t know at that time. If you are like me, do yourself a favour and Google this information. It may save you a lot of trouble.
So, there I was, missing my family and friends, crying secretly, feeling sad and empty. It wasn’t long before my husband noticed it. “You seem to be depressed.” He took me to the family doctor. Within several minutes, I was diagnosed with depression and prescribed my first antidepressant medication.
They all tried to help me my husband, my doctor. Only I was not depressed! I was going through the second stage of culture shock. But who knew?
For the first two to three months, the medication seemed to be working. And then it stopped. The doctor prescribed another medication, then another one. Then he increased the dosage. But instead of getting better, I was only getting worse. I cried and cried and didn’t want to go out. Nothing interested me. Life lost its appeal. I wanted to die! My husband couldn’t handle it any longer. He left me and filed for divorce.
I agreed. I didn’t care. “So, that’s the end of it.” I flushed the medication down the toilet and prepared to die. But surprise I didn’t! Instead, I started getting better. I realized that it is possible to deal with depression in a different way. I bought a book Dealing with Depression Naturally and found out many alternative ways of getting rid of my problem. Have you ever heard of “alternative medicine”?
Eventually, I got my first survival job, which I quit after a year and found my first professional job. I’m proud to say that now I’m one of the happiest people ever because I have a job as a teacher and a (new!) wonderful husband! And I love my life and I love Canada!
The last question I have for you, my dear reader, is: “Do you know that medications may have side effects?” As I later found out, antidepressant medication in some individuals may worsen the feeling of depression and even create suicidal thoughts. Ouch! That’s exactly what happened to me.
When we are new to the country and new to the system, it is our responsibility to be vigilant, search for more information and take care of our health and well-being. And help each other! Hope I’ve done my part in this by sharing with you my story.
Want to share your story? Email editor@canadianimmigrant.ca.