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Renee reveals the warning signs of depression and reveals how you can help your children beat it.

Mob Wives star Renee Graziano wants parents to know that depression is a serious medical condition and shouldn’t be taken lightly. Renee shares the story of her personal battle with depression with HollywoodLife.come exclusively and details the warning signs that may suggest a person’s own battle with depression.

“I’v been in therapy on-and-off for the last 20 years,” says Renee. “It comes from an abusive relationship when I was 14 with my boyfriend, Frank. No one was aware of the fact that he was abusive in every sense of the word, both physical and emotional.”

The depression continued to get worse. “It set the ball for me for unhealthy relationships,” explains Renee. “It got increasingly worse throughout my next two serious relationships and did roll over into my marriage.”

“I also know that I’ve had entitlement issues from a young age because of my father gave me everything,” says Renee. “When my father was incarcerated that had something to do with my expectations of people.”

Renee reveals the warning signs of depression:

• “People stop taking care of themselves,” notes Renee. “The first sign for me is I don’t go out of the house. I shut down and hibernate.”
• People let themselves go.
• People close up by “not having conversations with other people and not calling friends and family back,” says Renee.
• “Always sleeping or not sleeping enough” are signs according to Renee.
• Being too confident or “knocking themselves.”

Renee suggests these steps for dealing with depression:

• “Identify who or what is the problem,” advises Renee. “Completely dismiss it from your life. If you can’t dismiss the person, you should talk to someone to figure out the necessary steps to keep this person from causing further conflict.”
• “Eat right and exercise,” says Renee.
• “Seek help from a doctor.”
• “Medication should be the last resort.”

“Depression is like cancer,” says Renee. “It’s something we need to pay attention to. It can cause suicide if not dealt with. This shit is real. It is a parent’s responsibility to take care of his or her child, so step up and take charge.”

Be sure to catch an all-new episode of Mob Wives on Jan. 15 — and check back here at HollywoodLife.com for our recap.

- Lindsey DiMattina

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