Few months back, I was scrolling my instagram profile when a photo captivated me. It totally grabbed my attention and took me to the times when I lived that captured moment. It is one of the best photographs of my collection. It is with the person who had been the major source of motivation for me. His resilience always surprised me and his candor was something beyond comparison. I gazed at my phone’s screen for a short while, smiled and went to take a nap. When I woke up, I had plenty of missed calls from my friends. It, kind of, made me anxious. I called up one of my pal to know the matter and what I came to know gave me a shock. My ‘source of motivation’ was no more… that beautiful soul left for the heavenly abode. He committed suicide. This news came to me all of a sudden that sent shivers down my spine. I felt numb. Moreover, when I saw his cold corpse, that unusual smile still adorned his lifeless visage. This broke me into tears.
He was one of the most jovial, amiable and pure soul I had ever met. The goodness of his heart succumbed to the ghastly Depression. That monster ate him away. His frail spirit could not wage a battle against his tremor and so, out of devastation and misery, he gave up on his life.
There are wounds that never show on the body that are deeper and more hurtful than anything that bleeds.
Depression is defined as a state of low mood and aversion to activity that can affect a person’s thoughts, behavior, feelings and sense of well being. It is malicious, tyrant and venomous. Once it attacks our existence, like a parasite, it eats away our happiness. A person with visibly low self-confidence tends to give in to pressure. Depression is a ghost that destroys our mental piece and is capable of aggravating our miseries and grief.
In our society, the depression is seen as an incurable disease and the one suffering from it is looked upon and is considered ‘unfit’. A majority of population is fighting against the depression and due to fear of being harassed, criticized or made fun of – people tend to be reluctant about speaking their heart out. They abstain from talking about their grave issues to anyone and eventually shy away from socializing. They become isolated and embrace the eerie darkness.
According to World Health Organization, more than 300 million people are currently battling with depression. It is a silent killer and 16-30 population is the highly vulnerable one. Psychiatrists say that in the age group of 16-30, Suicide is the second leading cause of death. In India alone, 1.25 lacs people commit suicide and the fact could not be denied that the untreated depression is the major cause behind this dismal scenario.
Following are the symptoms of a person suffering from Depression:-
- Disinterest in the activities
- Loss of appetite/ overeating
- Concentration problems
- Difficulties in facing a relationship
- Insomnia / excessive sleep
- Fatigue/ ache/ pain/ digestive problems
- Reduced energy/ dampened spirits
- Isolation/ solitude
- Impulsive behavior/ extreme silence
Below are the CAUSES of depression amongst people:-
1. Life events
- Adversity in childhood, bereavement, negligence, mental/ physical/ sexual abuse
- Childbirth/ menopause/hormonal imbalances
- Bullying – harassment by colleagues, peer pressure, inferiority complex
- Work stress, unemployment
- Atmosphere at the home, family issues
- Social isolation
- Personality disorders
- Low mental strength
- Frail body, weak spirits leading to inferiority complex
- Fear
- Low self – esteem
- Lack of confidence, courage
- Pessimism
- Medical treatments
Depression may also be iatrogenic (the result of healthcare), such as drug induced depression. Several drugs of abuse can cause or exacerbate depression, whether in intoxication, withdrawal, and from chronic use. Some illnesses, such as hypothyroidism, hepatitis, mononucleosis, or head injuries, may contribute to depression.
If a person is not treated properly for this disorder at the right time, it pushes him to leap forward and strangulate himself to death. He is bound to take away his life without giving it a second thought. The conscience of a distressed person becomes unaware of the judicious conduct.
If a person is not treated properly for this disorder at the right time, it pushes him to leap forward and strangulate himself to death. He is bound to take away his life without giving it a second thought. The conscience of a distressed person becomes unaware of the judicious conduct.
The need of the hour is to develop and implement certain policy reforms and approaches to combat this prevalent disorder. Some of the possible solutions are as follows:-
- Talk as much as you can to your most reliable and trustworthy people. Talking and sharing your woes is imperative to lighten up your burden.
- The power of social media must be leveraged to reach out to the victims of the depression.
- Make use of different media platforms to address this issue and generate awareness amongst the folks about the depression. It is not a myth or a taboo.
- The patient must not be afraid of seeking solutions for his anxieties.
- The people must accept the state of the depressed person and ought to make concrete efforts in order to help the person sail heroically across his troubles.
- It is clinically proven that an individual feels more relaxed when they vent their fears or anxiety. So, give the distressed folks the space and patience to speak.
- Counseling cells must be set up at colleges and schools so that the students can sought the advise from the experts in complete confidentiality. This helps to get them rid of their baggage and promotes healthy and holistic development of an individual.
- Psychotherapy can help a person make changes in the way they think, in order to help with life problems and understand what makes depression worse.
Depression is a terrible state that leads the person to choose a wrong way. It can be fatal. Prolonged or chronic depression can have a devastating impact on your emotional and physical health. Depression is a highly stigmatized disorder in society today. Patients suffering with depression are often viewed as being weak, and are thus often made ‘social lepers’. This leads sufferers to remain silent about their plight and refuse to get help, for fear of being stigmatised. The abysmal scenario of increasing depression is alarming. It demands an urge to bring about concrete changes in the way people think of depression. The time is ripe to alter the existing mindsets and coax the distressed ones to come forward and have their grief shared with different people. Thankfully, with each voice that speaks out, with each action an organisation or community takes to bring this illness into the open, the shadows of shame associated with depression are fading. We need more of such voices.