At the age of 19 I experienced what was later diagnosed as a "major depressive episode". My depression was so bad that I was failing my classes at BYU and unable to do my job as a Resident Assistant. I ended up withdrawing from school and going back home to live with my parents for a year before enrolling at Utah State University. At the time, it felt like the ultimate failure.
Upon returning home it took me a few months before I began to come out of my depression and start to become functional again. For awhile the highlight of my day was getting up at 4pm (yes you read that right) to watch Reba on TV. On Friday nights I would go to Costco with my parents. That was usually my only outing for the week.
