“Depression cases are fast increasing in India with over 5 crore people suffering from the disorder, the highest in WHO’s South East Asia & Western Pacific region, which includes China” according to TOI. How often do we read these type of news? Do we try to research about this factual information? How many times we go and google about it? We don’t, because who cares?
Depression is the most common mood disorder, which covers a variety of negative thoughts and behavioral changes. We often use the term ‘depression’ if we are feeling low, or sad after a significant loss, breakups or failure to attain a goal. But this is not depression. Depression and being crestfallen are two different things, being gloomy is a temporary state of mind. Depression is something which stays with you for a prolonged period. You actually feel like killing yourself or remain aloof so that you don’t have to face people and have a forced conversation with them. People who actually suffer from this disorder feel useless, weary all the time, have unusual sleep patterns, remain agitated and are unable to think clearly and rationally. They lose interest in pleasurable activities, are low on self-esteem, unable to concentrate on a given task and also lose their appetite.
In our society people with mental illness are looked down upon. They are seen as some strange creatures who are not abiding to the norms of the society. Maybe that is the reason why people don’t come up and express their convoluted thoughts. There is a stigma attached to mental illness that is why people are hesitant to consult a doctor or a psychologist because they are ashamed of their problem. The suppression of thoughts and not approaching to a doctor can make the case of the person even severe which will have dire consequences.
Suffering from Depression is NORMAL, there is no need to hide in a dark room and overthink about it. The person suffering from depression has no control on his/her mood, everything happens naturally. Unhappiness is a feeling which everyone feel one time or another and you cannot call an unhappy person depressed. A person suffering from depression will experience extreme emotions of anxiety, hopelessness, negativity which will be long-lasting.
This disorder can happen suddenly due to physical illness like heart diseases and cancer. It may also be due to experiences dating back to childhood; unemployment, bereavement or any other life-changing events. Women are seen suffering from Depression post-pregnancy but that is generally a minor case of depression. Sometimes there is no clear-cut reason for depression. There are many distinct type of depression which include: mild depression, major depression, Bi-polar disorder, Post-natal depression, Seasonal affective disorder (SAD).
A person cannot fight this battle alone. He/she needs to be loved and requires help. Society should be more sensitive towards this topic. I’ve seen many people calling names like insane or weird to individuals suffering from this problem. Can we just accept this fact that people who are just slightly different from “normal” people can co-exist in this heterogeneous society? It’s high time for people to be more flexible, and adaptive in nature and see mental illness as a disorder which requires proper medical treatment just like any other disease.
