I know this does not have anything to do with sex offenders and being incarcerated, but I want to share this story with you because depression can affect any of us.

My best friend, who is a dentist, fell into this deep depression and I guess it has been going on for a long time. I have been knowing her for about 17 years are so. First of all, she lost a child about 15 or 16 years ago to sids. She survived it but I don't think she ever sought out help to help her get over the devastation of her loss.

Anytime she would she get I guess depressed she would isolate herself from everyone. I always told her that it was not good to do that because you need to be around others. She continued to do it for the past four years on and off. I will now fast forward to the past 3 weeks.

As I told you, she is a dentist. She was so depressed that she isolated herself and did not go to work for 3 weeks. We talk everyday before and after work and sometimes more than that. She would say that she was going to work and when the next day came, she would not go. She was drinking and not eating and would lie saying that she was not drinking. She said that she was taking Zoloft but I was not sure. She would lie to me, her sister and her mother about different things.

Here is the clincher! She was getting paranoid and telling me things that did not sound right. It was so bizzare! She said that she would get calls and did not know who it was. She was calling me and everyone else in the middle of the NIGHT! When I would tell her that I could not talk because I had work in the morning, she would cry and tell me to stay on the phone. Then she started taking money out of her 401K stating that she did not have anyone to leave her money to anyway. Her mother had a heart attack from this Monday and her sister lives in another state far away. She told me to please take care of her cat (whom she so loves) and when I told her sure (thinking she was going to admit herself) she told me that she wanted me to take her cat home. I am allergic to cats and I told her that she knew this. Then the words came out! She told me that if she had a gun, she would shoot herself. Although it was 2:00 a.m., I realized that she needed help. I called the coroner's office who connected me with the police and they showed up and took her to E.R. She has been shipped to a psychiatric ward.

The reason I am sharing this with you is because when someone is so deep in depression, the signs are there. I could have lost my friend if I had not taken what she said seriously. I would tell her that it was so early in the morning and I had to get off the phone and she could only focus on herself. I had gotten angry with her a few times because I am thinking she is being selfish and now I realize that she was sick.

I know this is long winded, but if you ever experience this or something close to it with people wanting to give things away, or can't go to work, or they are getting paranoid, etc., don't think twice about calling someone.

I would not just be a Heartbroken parent, but I would have been totally Heartbroken!

I know this life isn't easy on this earth but having sex offender on you makes it worse and that is why I am sharing my story.

HB