Matt Hughes passes away

Yeah, so serious, what's the big secret? Have we passed the point yet where we can actually talk about this and maybe help others?
 
I've never met him, but it hits way too close to home for me. My thoughts and prayers strongly go out to his family and friends.

I have also been battling severe depression and severe anxiety for over 20 years. "It's all in your head" "pull yourself up by your bootstraps" "theres nothing to be depressed about, get over it"....

...all responses I ever got when trying to confide in friends and family. Noone takes it serious or truly understands - unless they too have it.

There are times when I still get the urge to end it - and I am on / have been on multiple medications.

I truly can relate, and I hope his family and friends can have some strength...

...as well as more public education on what depression is - and does to a person and those around them.

Keith
 
my prayers are with the family and friends.

i suffer from depression, and from recent events in my life it has gotten worse. (but i am doing good) i have friends that have passed away from taking their life. i try to focus on the positive and keep people close to me and i dont hold it in. i let people know what is going on with me. i go to counseling that helps alot. storm chasing has been an outlet to let some of it go and enjoy the beauty of nature.

i hope i can be of help if anyone needs to talk.
 
thanks andy.

i try to lend a hand where i can. i am currently pursuing a degree in counseling and becoming a fire dept chaplian. this also comes in handy when chasing and i may be able to assist in the aftermath of helping people with emotional needs.

now i have my moments time to time.. but i feel having gone through something makes it easier to help others that are in the same situation with said depression. i have learned alot about this over the last 2 yrs and facing my own demons... but i am a better man for it...

for those out there... dont give up, find a trusted friend, family member, pastor, priest to talk to.
 
Good to see Matt on Storm Chasers tonight. His legacy lives on at least on this little bit of recorded history.
 
I never met Matt, but hearing about this strikes a very deep nerve in me. I know first hand how bad depression can be. As a middle school student, I fell into deep depression and almost committed suicide. Thankfully, a few people who knew me actually started to talk to me. It very saddening to know that maybe something could have been done about this.
R.I.P. Matt Huges.
 
Hopefully one day depression won't hold a stigma that someone is just "loony" or "crazy." Each year 15 million people suffer from clinical depression. (1 in 4 women and 1 in 10 men) The statistics are STAGGERING. :(

http://depressiontreatmenthelp.org/depression-statistics.php

I like to hope this as well, and then I catch a few minutes of my wife watching the latest Desperate Housewives and see how poorly they're writing the anxiety/depression disorder of one of the main characters - and think that we still have a long ways to go.
 
Good day all,

I may have chimed in on this thread a while ago. I did not know Matt H very well, but I have seen him from time to time out in the field, where his work was his passion. God rest his soul.

I knew another person much more, Erig Nguyen, who succombed to the effects (direct or not / medication) from depression back in 2007, just a mere 2 months after chasing with him. I would have NEVER known, but sometimes, as with Matt, "who" knows.

Depression is an AWEFUL thing. I myself, and I am sure many others, suffered from mild depression. I am lucky, because in my case it was, just that: MILD. To me, it felt very far from mild. It not only took it's toll on my feeling and esteem, but destroyed trust as well. But this was 20+ years ago.

Basically, the labeling of depression as a mental illness causes its problem exacerbation simply because of ignorance. I once worked with a woman who had moderate depression. She showed some of this at the workplace, and asked for help for it (insurance / referral wise through HR) ... She was fired.

Later on, I found she was hospitalized for attempted suicide after she lost her home, her husband, and her financial security. Yet, meanwhile - at the SAME company ... A man had a heart attack. The SAME company gave him 2 months off, temp-disability, and when he got well, he returned to the office (I often saw him smoking with the other sales people) ... WHY was the woman with HER "medical" condition NOT treated the SAME way?

That's WHY we have these people with depression getting worse. We all LOST Eric N, now Matt H, who knows how many more out there with this aweful illness.

When I had depression (mild) back in the day, far MORE than 50% of comments were that "my condition is mental, and we do not deal with that" ... Ahh "the brain can be a b-- sometimes" ... There it is. That's the problem. Need to U-N-D-E-R-S-T-A-N-D and R-E-S-P-E-C-T (?)

I pray for all with depression ... And also pray for them to be accepted, and most of all, loved by their closest family, friends, AND co-workers.

Medications? With all those aweful side effects ... I threw mine in the trash years back for my 'mild' case! Simply talking to someone works WONDERS with depression. Having a caring boss and / or friends and family is better than any medicine ... And the side effects won't cause diabetes or stroke in 55% as with "Abilify" ;-)

Oh, and a storm chasing buddy of mine, George K, told me he knows a formerly depressed guy who was magically cured once he took-up storm chasing!
 
They say depression is also what caused the young Bronco's wide receiver Kenny McKinley to take his own life back in September. He was depressed that he had his 2nd season ending injury in a row.

Depression is a SERIOUS issue these days. People need to be aware of change in people's behavioral patterns & not be afraid to speak up or ask "Hey is something wrong?". We all need to not worry so much about ourselves and instead be more loving toward one another & outreach. Be a TRUE friend.
 
I didn't know Matt, and have been out of the chasing loop for years - but this is shocking news and I send my condolences to his family, friends and everyone who knew him or was close to him. Such sad news, and so familiar.

Karen
 
Yeah, so serious, what's the big secret? Have we passed the point yet where we can actually talk about this and maybe help others?

Someone else had posted a thread about Matt passing away prior to this one; it was met with great fanfare by a select few, causing it to be deleted. It's true that some people would rather brush things under a rug and pretend they didn't happen, rather than make an attempt at helping others.
 
Medications? With all those aweful side effects ... I threw mine in the trash years back for my 'mild' case! Simply talking to someone works WONDERS with depression.

I'm glad that worked for you. I've had experience with medication and can certainly say that they should only be used as a last resort. Right now I'm on a sub-therapeutic dose of an SSRI anti-anxiety / anti-depressant (20mg is recommended, I'm taking just 5mg). Even though that's well below the therapeutic range (20-40mg), it has given me a much better mood and outlook on things, given me better sleep and allowed me to think more clearly... with minimal side effects. At higher doses (20mg), I noticed an even bigger change; a greater appreciation for art and music, which is unusual for me.

Keep in mind that the effects differ among individuals, which is why some people go through a whole range of medication before finding the "right" one for them.
 
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