To Write Love On Her Arms

To Write Love On Her Arms (TWLOHA) is a non-profit organisation that exists to raise awareness and to support people who are suffering from depression, self injury, addiction and suicidal tendencies.

Their vision, quoted directly from their website, is "You were created to love and be loved. You were meant to live life in relationship with other people, to know and be known. You need to know that your story is important and that you're part of a bigger story. You need to know that your life matters."

Has depression affected your life in any way? Lets see how common depression actually is. If you have suffered from it or know someone who has, make your presence known by participating in this poll to show people they are not alone!

The World Health Organization indicates that around 121 million people all around the world suffer from depression.

Out of those 121 million people, 2/3 of them will not get the treatment they need to help them with depression.

The top cause of suicide is depression which has remained untreated. According to The World Health Organization approximately 1 million people commit suicide each and every year.

Depression affects every race, every skin colour, every age group and every country. It does not discriminate.

To help raise awareness of this cause TWLOHA organised To Write Love On Her Arms Day. On this day people all around the world got out their Sharpies and wrote love on their arms to raise awareness. As more and more people asked, "why do you have love written on your arm?" the cause spread further and further, some people would even allow people to write the word "loved" on their arm as they found out what it represented.

Whether we like to think so or not, we all know someone whose life has been affected by depression, either directly or indirectly.

We may not know that someone is suffering from depression, they may not even know themselves.

Here is a list of some symptoms that may indicate depression:

*feeling sad, moody or down more often than not

*feeling hopeless or helpless very often

*feeling numb or empty

*feeling anxious or nervous more often than not

*feeling guilty and blaming yourself for things that aren't your fault

*unable to feel good or enjoy things you usually would

*being too self-critical

*believing that things are out of your control

*difficulty making normal decisions

*difficulty thinking clearly

*poor concentration and bad memory

*thinking about suicide or ending your life

*lack of motivation and energy

*crying a lot

*losing interest in activities you would usually enjoy

*withdrawing from your friends and family or being overly dependent on them

*increased use of alcohol or other drugs

*losing your temper more often than you usually would

*loss of appetite or over-eating

*changes in sleep patterns - difficulty getting to sleep, waking up in the middle of the night or sleeping for longer

*headaches or stomach aches

*feeling physically sick

*lack of interest in sex.

These are only some symptoms, but if you think yourself or someone you know suffers from depression, speak to a medical professional.

You can help to support this cause by going to the website to learn more or to purchase t-shirts to raise awareness. The link is at the bottom of this page.

TWLOHA also has a presence on many social networks, below are the links to their pages:

Facebook

MySpace

Google+

Twitter

The TWLOHA logo and associated pictures were derived from the To Write Love On Her Arms website to show my support and promote this cause.

Thankyou.