Today, the 10th October is World Mental Health Day. I have lost a very dear person this year to the devil called depression. That is the main reason I couldn't stop myself from writing about this topic.
Our society doesn't think of depression as an ailment. If you tell anyone that you are depressed, people will probably just tell you to cheer up. We must understand that just like any physical ailment, depression is an ailment of the mind.
If your head is paining or your liver is dysfunctioning, you are taken to a doctor. But, if you are depressed, then people will encourage you to just cheer up. As a result, the people who are suffering from chronic depression follows either of the 2 paths. Either they become socially detached and start living in a shell, away from friends and family. Or they put on a facade or mask of happiness and show the world that everything is fine. Both the cases are equally dangerous.
My cousin sister (22) followed the second path. No one took it seriously that she was depressed. Therefore, after some time, she decided to not be an emotional burden on anyone. She tried to show to the world that she is doing good. Everyone told her that she has enormous resilience, but none could understand the disease that's expanding within her, pushing her to the dark abyss with every passing second.
Her parents thought that she is so strong that she can deal with just anything. Her friends thought that she is perfectly happy in life. And one day, when the disease had spread completely from her mind to her heart, body and soul, she ended her life.
People thought it was sudden, abrupt and so wrong of her. No one could understand that the poor girl was deprived of empathy, compassion and medication for her ailment. She was just encouraged to cheer up!
If you tame a cardiovascular disease and go on without medication, then what will be the end result? Death.
Similarly, if you allow a person to tame a mental ailment and go on without medication, then what will be the end result? Death.
As I write this, my heart is beating at an enormous speed because she has always been a very special part of my life. I wish I could have understood what she was going through. I wish I could have saved her.
Depression is a very serious ailment. The next time, a friend or sibling of yours tell you that he or she is depressed, please be empathetic towards the person. Instead of saying just cheer up, try to know the reasons behind the person's depression. Talk to the person, show your support and assure him or her that there is hope.
The word depression is also overused in many cases. Therefore, I would like to mention here that there is a huge difference between sadness and depression. Sadness is a very temporary feeling, which all of us feel sometime. It lasts for a few hours to a day. Depression is a state, which doesn't go away like sadness.
People feel totally lost and directionless in such a state. There is an emptiness within the soul that stops the mind to rationalize and use logic. The emptiness expand with every passing day. It stays for days and weeks. If it persists for more than two weeks, medication is strictly needed.
Our country, India is the most depressed nation of the world where maximum number of suicides due to depression have been reported in the whole world. Statistics say that women in India are more prone to depression than men. The primary reason why our country is the most depressed nation is because people of our country don't take medication or help for depression. They just suffer in silence till death takes over.
Depression is treated as a hush-hush subject in our society. We need to change our attitude. We need to understand that mental health is equally as important as physical health. We need to educate people around us and make them understand the need of medication for mental health. We need to be empathetic and compassionate towards people suffering from ailments of the mind such as depression. Today, on the World Mental Health Day, let's try to bring a change and let the change begin with us.
Our society doesn't think of depression as an ailment. If you tell anyone that you are depressed, people will probably just tell you to cheer up. We must understand that just like any physical ailment, depression is an ailment of the mind.
If your head is paining or your liver is dysfunctioning, you are taken to a doctor. But, if you are depressed, then people will encourage you to just cheer up. As a result, the people who are suffering from chronic depression follows either of the 2 paths. Either they become socially detached and start living in a shell, away from friends and family. Or they put on a facade or mask of happiness and show the world that everything is fine. Both the cases are equally dangerous.
My cousin sister (22) followed the second path. No one took it seriously that she was depressed. Therefore, after some time, she decided to not be an emotional burden on anyone. She tried to show to the world that she is doing good. Everyone told her that she has enormous resilience, but none could understand the disease that's expanding within her, pushing her to the dark abyss with every passing second.
Her parents thought that she is so strong that she can deal with just anything. Her friends thought that she is perfectly happy in life. And one day, when the disease had spread completely from her mind to her heart, body and soul, she ended her life.
People thought it was sudden, abrupt and so wrong of her. No one could understand that the poor girl was deprived of empathy, compassion and medication for her ailment. She was just encouraged to cheer up!
If you tame a cardiovascular disease and go on without medication, then what will be the end result? Death.
Similarly, if you allow a person to tame a mental ailment and go on without medication, then what will be the end result? Death.
As I write this, my heart is beating at an enormous speed because she has always been a very special part of my life. I wish I could have understood what she was going through. I wish I could have saved her.
Depression is a very serious ailment. The next time, a friend or sibling of yours tell you that he or she is depressed, please be empathetic towards the person. Instead of saying just cheer up, try to know the reasons behind the person's depression. Talk to the person, show your support and assure him or her that there is hope.
The word depression is also overused in many cases. Therefore, I would like to mention here that there is a huge difference between sadness and depression. Sadness is a very temporary feeling, which all of us feel sometime. It lasts for a few hours to a day. Depression is a state, which doesn't go away like sadness.
People feel totally lost and directionless in such a state. There is an emptiness within the soul that stops the mind to rationalize and use logic. The emptiness expand with every passing day. It stays for days and weeks. If it persists for more than two weeks, medication is strictly needed.
Our country, India is the most depressed nation of the world where maximum number of suicides due to depression have been reported in the whole world. Statistics say that women in India are more prone to depression than men. The primary reason why our country is the most depressed nation is because people of our country don't take medication or help for depression. They just suffer in silence till death takes over.
Depression is treated as a hush-hush subject in our society. We need to change our attitude. We need to understand that mental health is equally as important as physical health. We need to educate people around us and make them understand the need of medication for mental health. We need to be empathetic and compassionate towards people suffering from ailments of the mind such as depression. Today, on the World Mental Health Day, let's try to bring a change and let the change begin with us.
(Source: Indiblogger)
