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The system labeled me disabled in 2001. I was thought to have depression. I did feel depressed, but never felt that was the real problem. I turned out to be right. But it took a long time to prove it, and a very astute medical community. I had worked for about two decades in a myriad of jobs such as sales, marketing, public relations, media production and the like. It was difficult for me to keep a job as I had depression, at least that is what I was "labeled" to have. I had been treated with antidepressants and talk therapy for many years but was not getting better. Finally, I was told I could not work, that "I was too depressed". There are a few perks to being disabled. One is a lot of time to research and learn to use the Internet. It did not take me long to discover a disease called "TRD" or labeled by the psychiatric community, "treatment resistant depression". Not to my surprise, it turned out to be what I had the whole time. I was one of the few lucky ones who received the only treatment for it, a vagus nerve implant, which is no longer covered by most Insurance nor Medicaid. There was a very brief window of opportunity and I grabbed it. TRD is not depresion per se, but a dysfunctioing vagus nerve, of which I had, and it appears to be depression because it can cause symptoms of it, same as thyroid problems. I was tired all the time, in fact too tired to work. I was sometimes too tired to get out of bed after eight hours of sleep. After I received the treatment, my life took a 360 degree turn for the better. I did have one setback about eight years ago, a major heart attack, but I recovered rapidly, and did not let it depress me. Though I am still labeled "disabled" by many, I have found that the Internet has leveled the playing field. I say that a bit facetiously and with a bit of sarcasm, because, during my "depressed state", I was keenly aware of the discrimination targeted my way, though those who were being discriminating were not aware of my awareness. I guess they thought people with depression or any disability don't have awareness or intelligence. We do. So I thought it was the end of the world when my work days in corporate America came to an end. How would I ever survive on disability? I did. One learns to adjust. But there are some painful growth moments in that adjustment. But it was all worth it. I am not certain if one would call me a "master of the Internet, certainly not a guru by any means, but I have gotten much insight into how it works over the past few years. Penniless, I launched Times Cartoons which in less than a decade became the most visited offbeat cartoon site on the Internet (and still is). It's Alexa rankings grow daily and by the end of this month we will have had 9 million visitors within the past two years. That may not sound like much but for a cartoon site it is. Most cartoons on the Internet last from 3-6 months and the others are gone within a year. Every day, or nearly so, I receive an Email asking me what I would charge for a full SEO campaign. I opened two cartoon gift mega-stores and six niche funny gift shops. Sales remain brisk. I have affiliates through my manufacturer 3drose, many of them on Amazon and they sell plenty as well. I create all sorts of products with my cartoons on them; greeting cards, t-shirts, jogging suits, tank tops, mugs, beer steins, coasters, baseball caps, and, you name it, we make it. All this is due to research on the Internet and making phone calls. Oddly enough, a disabled person, and that person is me, can write a lucid, professional email, talk on the phone professionally, create a social network and blog professionally, and write articles, hopefully professionally. The old boy network, who was once so involved in keeping a stigma attached to depression and/or disability is out of the picture now. I have no excuses anymore not to succeed. I deal with people who want me to succeed, and it helps them succeed. I am a "living room-industrialist". I come up with a cartoon concept, I make a call, its on a product, and jobs are created. Disabled people, I was told, were not necessarily as inteligent as the norm. That's okay, I just finished three years at a top-notch accredited business college online, at age 52. I am 53 now and will complete my coursework next year and if all goes well, my masters. I will use the Internet once again. Why waste time with people who are more concerned with "labeling" me so as to put parameters on my limitations, than those who know me just as a person and helping me succeed. I am not saying a depressed or disabled person should hide behind his or her computer all day, I spend a great amount of time my day being and working with people, handing out business cards, going on talk shows, and doing as much as I can in the public. I teach free Internet workshops to the elderly, many of them shut-ins. This week has been a busy one. I have opened three new online niche stores featuring my cartoon products; Justfunnymousepads, Justfunnycoffeemugs, and Justfunnygreetingcards, not to mention two weeks ago when I created the first cartoon maternity shop mirthgirthbirth.com and of course my ten year old cartoon site that I started from ten years go in a metal warehouse in Mississippi, Londons Times Cartoons at londonstimes.us . Labeling is a bad thing. Have you ever noticed that a person with a mental illness or physical disability is the only person labeled by his or her ailment. If a person has cancer, we don't say "He's cancerous", or if a person has diabetes, I've yet to hear, "There goes Mr. High Blood Sugar!". But if a person has depression, 100% of the time "He/she's depressed" or "has depression" or "mental illness". That usually puts an end to the conversation as the stigma remains and many don't want to know much more. That is unacceptable. Some very accomplished people both living and dead have had depression or other disabilities. If interested, view some of the famous people with depression websites such as http://www.geocities.com/coverbridge2k/artsci/famous_people_depression.html , or http://www.angelfire.com/mn2/illstandbyyou/famous.html It tickles me to see my name on all these websites. There are hundreds of them; simply google "famous people with depression". Just look down the last name alphabetical list until you get to London. Rick London. He's this disabled person writing to you now.
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Cartoonist Rick London has overcome many challenges, and has some of the most visited humor-based websites on the Internet. His latest niche cartoon site is Just Funny Greeting Cards Disabled cartoonist Rick London opens yet another niche shop, cartoon greeting cards
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