Sheh signed: Hurdo la'aantu waa biyaaj In addition to being a biyaaj, it's often a symptom of a larger problem. With disrupted sleep comes missing school or work and further deterioration in those areas. There my also be a dependency on sleeping pills to force one to sleep. The deterioration of school or work life leads to further blues. A vicious cycle really.

^ This is about feeling blue and depression not the Midwest snow forecast.

^ Flip is a rude white guy with bad grammar. Don't mind him.

^ It's not an insult atheer so don't take it as such. My English is rusty as well (I scored 80% on that when it should be 100). My point is, reading and writing well is extremely important if you want to get ahead in life. There's nothing shameful about learning (at any age). Danyeerow, caqligaan ku jecelehay. The bad parenting skills we brought from home. Yeah I said it. Except back home, an entire extended family raised the kids. Now we have self-raising kids. There's but one outcome for that formula: disaster. We reap what we sow.

^ The thread's message won't be lost if I save one kid like you from bad grammar. Reading and writing well opens doors for you. Try this exercise really quick: Put the verb in brackets into the right tense. (Present, Past, Future Conditionals 1. You will smell if you (not change) _____________ your clothes. 2. What (you do) _____________ if you heard the alarm? 3. We'll have to walk if we (run out) _____________ of petrol here. 4. Unless you turn that music down, I (go) _____________ mad. 5. Someone (steal) _____________ your glasses if you leave them there. 6. She (not have) _____________ so many accidents if she drove more carefully. 7. If you were unemployed, what (you do) _____________ ? 8. If you shake that bottle, it (not be) _____________ fit to drink. 9. If you pass the exam, we (celebrate) _____________ it. 10. If you go to London, where (you stay) _____________ ? 11. If you (wear) _____________ this coat, nobody would have recognized you. 12. If you (read) _____________ the article carefully, you wouldn't have asked anything. 13. If someone offered to buy you one of those cars, which one (you choose) _____________ ? 14. If I had known you didn't like the food, I (not buy) _____________ it. 15. If he is there he (answer) _____________ the phone. 16. I'll get lost if you (not go) _____________ with me. 17. I wouldn't have brought umbrella if I (know) _____________ that it was not raining. 18. I could repair the roof myself if I (have) _____________ a longer ladder. 19. I (not buy) _____________ these things if I were you. 20. I (bring) _____________ you some food if I had known that you were hungry. Source (and more exercises)

^ Good job atheer. You can read. Now work on that writing. And the verb is "was" not "wz". Don't make me catch a case.

^ Here's an old fart with a dozen chill pills. You couldn't have possibly been born here the way you write. For the topic, there's even a much larger generation that is lost, namely the one in Somalia. The expats have the choice to study and work hard or become delinquents. The group in Somalia has none of these choices. I'd worry less about these spoiled brats overseas than I do of those back home. The lost ones here are being lost because of bad (or non-existent) parenting. The kid above this post has a point. You can't call it a lost generation when we're the ones who are abondoning them.

^ 10-4

LSK, you may be speechless but here's what you can do: remove that post. If it was Juma, it's an obvious vile attack. If it wasn't Juma, lock his account and see what happens. Either way, those words are unbecoming of SOL and I see no reason why they should remain any longer than they already have.

^ That's cool. Good luck on your exams.

Originally posted by Rowda: Naagwaba meeshay is dhegtaa lagu qalaa plus I would rather give to a white dude than to a somali guy anyday. The only thing they good at is talk behind you like he wasn't the a sharmut. By the way, some of the wadaado ar worst than Faraah cabsan. Atheer don't get mad. I thought your story was funny and your date to be a moron. But do remember, you're the one who brought the story to us. We each gave you a piece of our minds. It comes with the risk of posting on the web. Next time, be careful what you write on here. It may come back to haunt you. I'm speaking from experience here. P.S. And no giving out candy to anyone, Faarax or not. It's haraam.

^ Fantastic.

^ Saaxib SB, just how many Eskimos did you run into to form this opinion?

^ Interesting. I never thought of it this way. I was not planning to see it for it's a trivial story but now I have an even better justification for avoiding that crap.

^ Even when we do remember history, saaxib, we manage to repeat it. What Xiin is alluding to there are the political reasons why the Holocaust may be kept alive and in front of us at all times.

^ Atheer what kufr are you speaking of? I prefer coffee to tea, sushi to a steak and a hard bed to a soft one. Similarly, and though I'm blessed with a great Xalimo, I prefer Latina women over any other race. Being a Faarax is not one of my greatest attributes.

^ I personally adore Latina women (then African Americans then Somalis). It's no racism on my part. Simply preference. They've got the perfect skin color, great bodies and a fantastic language to go with their amazing attitudes. Why did I have to be a maryooley, mijo yar? Oh the cruelty of fate.

^ I think Juma just lost it for a moment. It's highly unlikely he believes what he uttered. If he does, it is indeed a shame.

I snuffed the life out of mine a couple of days ago. It kept asking me for mercy killing and I couldn't say no anymore. May it rest in peace. SOL is my blog.

^ Admitting to oneself, and to those who care about you, without any feelings of shame is the very first step on the road to a sound body and mind. I tip my hat off to you. I've no doubt many, many more than you can imagine are in the same boat, or a worse one.

Originally posted by GEEL-JIRE: ^ The worst thing is the stigma people attach to this situation. Some avoid the health system altogether just because of the stigma our people attach to it to the point where they hit rock bottom and eventually end up there worse than ever before. The hope is a sizeable majority has grown up here now and is capable of removing that stigma. Not only for themselves but for the older people in their lives who resist change. Unfortunately, there are no studies in our community to show the rates of depression. If there were, I'd not be surprised it is extremely high. The effects of this are staggering. They range from child abuse to domestic violence to dropping out of school (or university). Very high prices to pay for something that could be handled with minimal intervention. One of the simplest things that people neglect is the effect of sunlight (or the lack of it). Most of us were born right around the equator. To move to the 49th parallel and further north is just not normal for us. So in addition to foreign, often hostile, countries, it's cold, dark and depressing. Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is something that can easily cripple a normally vibrant person. Worse yet, it occurs during the school year when young people should be most occupied with school work. So while we wait on our sunny countries to join civilization, it would help to take care of these issues now.

^ That's true. Though a depressive bout lasting 3 months or more probably won't be alleviated with talking to friends and family. In fact, if it lasts that long, you won't talk to friends and family any more. There are signs of the severity that should be heeded.

^ May be. He's more likely paranoid than depressed. A mental disorder nonetheless.

I wrote this in another Somali forum on Jan 16 1996. I'm sure it's still as relevant now as it was then. May be more. Are you depressed? Almost everyone gets depressed at times. Most of us have periods when we feel sad, lethargic, and not interested in any activities, even pleasurable ones. Depression is a normal response to many of life's stresses. Among the situations that most often precipitate depression are failure at school or at work, the loss of a loved one, and the likes. Most depression episodes last for a few hours, and sometimes for a few days, but when it (depression) is out of proportion to the event that caused it, and it lasts for weeks, there is cause for concern. As Somalis who live in countries other than our own, the chances of getting depressed are higher than average. Living in a foreign country with a different culture, not speaking the language very well, the cruel weather, and hardships in finding decent employment are the major culprits of depression among Somalis. That, along with feelings of loneliness and the instability that family members live in back home, is usually enough to drive the average person to the edge, or even further. The reason I'm bringing up this issue is simple. In the town I live in, namely Ottawa, there is an estimated 13,000 Somalis, and in a recent visit to a mental health institution, I was told, but I could not confirm it, that there are well over 150 Somalis in the region who are institutionalized for one mental illness or the other. The majority of cases are suffering from a severe depression. I was also told that the ages of the patients spanned all age groups, from teenagers to middle age and old age, and both sexes were represented. A simple guess would reveal that there are many more who need medical attention, and either don't know how to get it or don't know they're sick. So I did some research, along with some personal experiences, I have managed to get a list of the symptoms of depression. Not all symptoms occur in one person, of course, and not in the same degree. The severity of feelings and the duration they exist are good indicators of depression. The symptoms are: 1. Feelings of sadness and dejection. 2. Having crying spells for little or no provocation. 3. Irritability and quick anger. 4. Self-blame for one's failures in life. 5. Loss of gratification or pleasures in life. 6. Loss of interest in acitivities, even with friends and family. 7. Loss of affection for other people even the closest. 8. Loss of self-esteem and feelings of inadequacy. 9. Pessimism and hopelessness about the future 10. Feelings of inability to change one's future to the better. 11. Loss of motivation. The physical symptoms include: 12. Loss (or increase) of appetite. Extreme fluctation in weight. 13. Sleep disturbances. Either too much or too little sleep. 14. Fatigue and loss of energy with the least effort. 15. Magnifying of aches and pains and even complaining of "imaginary" illnesses. 16. Constant worry about one's health. 17. Increase in use of drugs, such as Qaad, and alcohol. And finally, 17. Thoughts, and even attempts, of suicide Most depressive episodes are of relatively short duration and will go away, with or without treatment. Also, a small percentage of people remain chronically depressed even with treatment. But in the majority, if not all, of cases, there is a simple treatment and it's covered by the health insurance of most provinces in Canada. In our culture it's customary to dismiss mental health issues until the person "uu marada tuuro" and phrases such as "shaydaanka iska naar oo so tuko" are quite common. Although the healing powers of prayer and meditation are documented, sometimes, as God said in the Qur'an, one has to seek medical attention. Also, since there is no equivalent for depression in our language per se, and that a person is either sane or he/she is "qac", we have to overcome the stereotypes and stigmas attached to mental illness and mood disorders. So, if you think you are suffering from one or more of the above symptoms, and have been suffering for a while, or you know someone who is, then it is best to seek medical attention. One visit to your family physician is, usually, all it takes to clear things out. You might be sent to a psychiatrist, but that's the beggining of the end of your depression, or a loved one's. Stay healthy.

^ You mean the SNM? I agree with most of what you said except it sure didn't live up to its name, the movement that is. Nothing 'nationalistic' about the outcome, is there? I'm not saying it's a bad outcome, just that either the movement had the wrong name, or the outcome wasn't considered when the name was chosen. Just details though, don't mind me.