MoD1982
YTtalk Mad
Hey guys so I have dealt with minor depression for around 2 years and I still cannot shake it, Im not suicidal even though for a period of time i was, Moving to a new school and just family stresses really got to me and bullying and just everything was thrown at me and it was a rough time and i still can't really focus on the positives and I never really had anyone there for me except for this sunday night radio show that talked to teens about suicide, bullying and stuff like that. I was wondering that even if im a gaming youtuber, is it "morally right" If I make videos of my depression and stuff like that? Or doing what that radio show did like if a sub is having a hard time I can PM or Make a video response to them, Opinions please, Thanks if you have made it this far
[NB: on reading this back before hitting Post Reply, it kinda looks like a shady way of plugging my channel. This isn't the intent and I apologise if it comes across that way - but it IS relevant to answering the original question!]
I was once heavily depressed, never to the point where I felt like ending it, but s**t was that heavy it could have been just one bad day away from it happening. I was falsely accused of rape by someone who I thought could have been 'the one'(don't worry, I don't believe in that sorta thing any more) and not just once, but every time we'd had sex in the 4 years we were together. It destroyed me - friends deserted me, family disowned me, I lost my job and my home, I lost literally everything. It's only because two people stood by me and knew I was telling the truth that I'm sat here writing this. About 2 years later she admitted she lied, my so-called friends came back and apologised, but the damage was done. At the age of 23 my life was destroyed. Finally aged 30 I feel like I'm in control of my life once again and having gotten a second opportunity I've rebuilt it as I've seen fit, I've learned to love again and am using my YouTube channel as a means of playing games with those who stood by me when I needed a friend.
How does this affect me nowadays? I'm mostly okay and still have the odd dark day(depression is never truly cured), but now I feel like giving back to the people who've helped me during that horrible dark time. To that end, my biggest gaming series on my channel has a challenge set up. I play Euro Truck Simulator 2, and am attempting the Million Mile Challenge - that is to say, 1,000,000 miles in the same truck. And I'm splitting the miles up into 4 chunks each of 250k miles, with each quarter being dedicated to a particular charity.
What's this got to do with you I hear you ask? My first charity is a UK-based one called PAPYRUS. They deal specifically with teenage suicides, removing the social stigma associated with suicide and dealing with the causes of it - namely depression. It's a cause I believe in and rather than try to be an agony uncle, I try to relate my own experiences with depression and explain how PAPYRUS help those who need it. I'm not a professional, they are. And I'm hoping that through my work - small as my channel is right now - I'm bringing awareness to people who are thinking of ending it that there are people out there willing to help.
And to try and get money coming in, I livestream long events(Race Across Europe specifically, takes about 3 1/2 hours) and am promising to cut my hair off on a livestream if we hit the tiny target of £500 before we hit 250,000 miles. Every penny goes straight to PAPYRUS via a JustGiving page.
In other words if you really want to help give something back, raise money for charity. Point people in the direction they need to go in. Don't try and be the man and tell them that technique A, B or C worked for you - you're not a professional and neither am I. All you can do is explain your own experiences and recommend someone better equipped to help you. What worked for me most definitely doesn't work for most people, and everyone reacts in different ways to different stimuli. That's why it's best left to the professionals to determine what those are.
And by raising awareness for a given cause and maybe raising money for them, you're able to help out those who are doing the helping
I hope this rather long-winded wall of text helps maybe inspire you into doing something similar.
