Due to the Corona outbreak, mankind is facing the toughest time of its history. The economy is shattered, people are home quarantined and fighting to survive on a personal and professional level. Hence, Mental health and depression have become a major concern. Talking about stats, it is worth noticing that the WHO has revealed that nearly 800,000 people die of suicide every year. It is awful that People often entitle suicide as “Giving up” but they don’t realize this entitlement can make suicide sound less frightful to already depressed minds.
What we don’t understand is- the battle of depression that ended up in suicide. So, here you will get a clear view of “Depression” and its related aspects. Make sure we start taking mental health seriously before it’s too late.
What is Depression?
“Depression” generally has no face and hence it is very difficult to define. But the experts have tried to put it together in words and labeled it as “common cold of psychopathology” so that people can relate themselves with the state of minds of depressed people. The intense feeling of unhappiness, dissatisfaction, worthlessness, and disruptive thoughts/dreams, are the features of depression.
These feelings can be the signs of depression but these are not steady; the person can transform himself/herself from a happy individual to a completely dismal human, in a matter of seconds. But such feelings can be controlled by talking about it. There comes the time when the feeling of dismay turns into unbearable pain and the person starts thinking about ending the life, but if someone calms and helps the person at that crucial time, the suicidal thoughts can be controlled.
Therefore, it is advised to never leave a depressed person all-alone. Basically, It’s the loneliness that kills!!
What Society Needs to Learn?
We have failed to understand the meaning of depression and mental health. It is not a mood or phase, it is an illness that needs a cure and lots of support. We all have a habit of giving advice and passing judgments, but the depressed person wants you to listen and support; a bit of compassion with unconditional love will definitely help the patient.
The judgment and discrimination are the two major factors due to which most of the depressed people can’t open up and avoid seeking medical help. But fortunately, many organizations are coming forward to aware people about mental health. Even a few companies are addressing mental illness and helping their employees to get over it, but still, there is a long way to go.
Note that, the consequences of suicide is not limited to one person as generations are affected by this. The blame of guilt, loss of income, loss of caretaker, and grief creates a void in the hearts of people related to the person who has died of suicide. So, it is important to create a world that is free from suicides and acceptable to depressed people.
How Can We Support a Depressed Person?
To support a depressed person, you first need to know the common symptoms and reasons for depressions. Usually, the severity of symptoms varies from person to person there is nothing to do with gender, symptoms of depressions in men are less likely to acknowledge where depression in women more likely to experience due to menstruation and hormonal changes factors. A person can be depressed if he or she:
- Remains sad or tearful
- feeling depressed for no reason
- Pessimistic more than a normal level
- Talks about guilt, worthlessness, and emptiness of his/her existence
- Seems uninterested in regular fun activities that he/she loved before
- Communicates less
- Get irritated, angry or upset very easily
- Has a very low level of energy
- Walks in an unusual slow manner
- Always restless
- Can’t sleep or sleep too much
- Can’t person day to day activities
- Eat less or more than usual
- Show interest in death or suicide
What is Bipolar Is it Depression?
Bipolar disorder is known as manic depression, in it, people experience instant shifts in moods, energy, thinking, and behavior. Its symptoms are quite similar to depression. However, it can be a critical problem, and taking antidepressants for bipolar can make the situation even worse. Hence, if you are going through this and constantly getting the feelings of euphoria, constant running thoughts, and impulsive behavior, these might be the sign of the bipolar disorder.
How We Can Together Combat Depression?
Depression is curable. Remember, every lock comes with a key, similarly, there is a solution to every problem. Nothing worth your life, but life worth a fight with your own mind. Society plays a major role in the cure of depression, here is what a depressed person needs from us:
- Listen to them carefully, and validate their feelings
- Show interest in their feelings and empathy through your actions and body movements
- Help them to find professional support. Depressed people usually avoid taking medical help, but a friend or guardian should help then to reach the medical practitioner
- Encourage them to continue the therapy
- Take care of yourself too, because you have to be fit and fine to help others.
- Create boundaries. Don’t lose yourself. Talk to your other people too so that you can build a bigger support circle.
- Help them create an alternative way to deal with their feelings when you are not around
- Self-care is necessary while helping a depressed person to avoid the emotional toll
- Read and learn about depression so that you can navigate the depressed person through the right path
- Help them with their day to day tasks because depressed people may find it difficult to complete their routine tasks. Your little help can do a lot to them
- Understand them when they constantly say “I don’t want to do anything“
- Invite them randomly. Depressed people usually avoid going out. So, invite them over parties and social gatherings where they can get a supportive and empathetic environment
- At last, be patient with them because it may take a little while. But it’s worth waiting.
Some Don’ts
- Never compare their experience with others
- Never try to give advice all the time
- Don’t try to fix them, just make them feel better
- Don’t completely rely upon medications, as it will not help without love, support, and empathy
Some points for Depressed people: How to Cope with Depression?
You are important to your family, friends, loved ones, and society. So, make sure you love yourself and the world around you. Things will get better, just a little self-care and consistent efforts will help you break the spine of depression. Few things that depressed people can try to soothe things out, these might be the natural remedies for depression;
- Create a routine and religiously follow it
- Set goals: Go from low to high. Start with small goals and try to achieve them
- Exercise and meditate to maintain the health of body and mind
- Yoga is also a powerful weapon to kill depression
- Open up with your trusted ones
- Eat healthily and avoid junk
- Get regular counseling from medical practitioners. They will certainly help you
- Love and accept yourself the way you are. You are precious.
- Have realistic expectations
- Write, draw or sing to express your feelings
- Tomorrow is not an image of today. Every tomorrow is a new beginning
- Go from part to part. You can fix everything at a time so try to do things in parts
- Always go against your ‘depression voice’ and remind yourself of your loved ones and your family.
- Reward and celebrate yourself.
- Indulge in fun and enjoyable activities: try to pursue your hobbies
- Spend time with nature
- Talk to your loved ones and spend time with them
- Volunteer in something else, like helping needy, or poor.
- Be loyal to your medications and clinical treatment.
Just follow the right- things and don’t let depression make its puppet. You are stronger and more important than you think. The world cares for you. You can seek help from organizations like the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) in the USA and for India, you can reach the Vandrevala Foundation.
