Depression- Let's Talk

We all applauded Deepika Padukone when she came out in open about her struggle with depression and we all looked up at her as a strong woman and started following her as a role model. It is great and it is really brave on her part to come out in open and talk about depression, we should definitely respect her efforts towards de-stigmatising depression. Motivated by the efforts I posted on facebook about how I struggled with depression post my break up and the misery I suffered through that dark phase when my stomach felt like a gutless pit and all I wanted was to cry. the result was quite different, there were very little support and appreciation and a lots of undermining and thoughts like ," Why are you crying about your personal stuff on social networking site ", " Dude, be a man, grow some balls", etc, and tags like ' attention seeker' , 'hungry for attention', etc. 

So what was the difference between me and Deepika, I guess it was her celebrity status and the fact that she was looked up to and I was looked down upon? Even my close ones asked me to put down the post as it does not present me in a good light. " Good light", maybe that was the issue. the society has long shown sympathy to the perils of others or long judged others in their perils but when the ' situation' knocks at our doors we bury our heads deep into the ground because what will society say if they found we have issues, so apparently running away from issues or suppressing a problem is the best solution because why are we on earth if not to please our peers.

 It is not that our folks are not worried, they are devastated but for entirely different reasons, the treatment plan and ways to fight depression does not catch their attention rather they are worried about who will marry the victim? and how will victim find a job or how the patient will again be socially accepted in the society. Apart from the concern which the society shows, they also believe in talking to the victim of depression but their method of positive reinforcement is quite different. 

They talk about how it is just a facade to run away from responsibilities or how the feeling should be shaken off or how the person is elongating the issue and crying over petty issues when there are so many bigger issues in the world. What our society fail to understand is if the victim of depression can shake it off, trust me he would have because he is not enjoying the crying and the self-blame and crunching stomach, if he would have been able to wipe away the tears and move on then he definitely would have done it long time back. having depression does not mean that he had not tried, but it rather means that the victim has fought a very long battle but now he is exhausted and have therefore succumbed to the pressure and needs our help to stand back up again and fight back.

Talking to a victim of depression does not mean to ask him to shake it off and stand back on his feet immediately, full of vigour and high spirits, but talking to the patient means to walk the distance with them, slowly and steadily bringing back their lost confidence and being there with them to listen to them when they are at their lowest. This do not mean that you should only talk to the major depression and patients because ethe fact is every one of us is depressed, only the intensity varies from person to person, the thing `you term as frustration is actually depression and it can happen to anyone from children to old age people, from housewives to CEO's from your house help to your boss. So next time you dismiss the issue of your teenage child as a non-sense teenage stuff which will get over with time, think twice, or when you ignore the rant of your wife, about how she feels suffocated in the house, as a regular frustration from being all day at home , give your argument a second look. The demons of depression are all around you ready to possess you or your loved ones, so be aware.

According to the World Health Organization, India is one of the most depressed countries in the world with a whopping 36% of Indians likely to suffer from major depression at some point in their lives. We can talk about dengue and swine flu but for some reason, we refuse to talk about depression. Depression is a big word and it can mean many things. For some, it can mean feeling marooned in a faraway place that makes you lose interest in everything. Time crawls like a drunken ant moving back and forth until even the most mundane task seems impossible; eating is exhausting, holding a conversation is exhausting, and paradoxically, sleeping is exhausting too. For others, depression can manifest itself in physical symptoms: a friend described it to me saying "I feel like there are elephants sitting on my chest while I gasp, keep gasping for air that just refuses to enter my lungs." He spent consecutive nights checking himself into hospitals demanding ECGs because, with its tightness and strangulation, my friend was convinced that his panic attack was a heart attack.

Suicide occurs throughout the lifespan and was the second leading cause of death among 15-29-year-olds globally in 2015. The suicide rate varies by WHO Region and by sex, ranging from below 5 per 100,000 population among females in low- and middle-income countries of the Eastern Mediterranean and American Regions to 20 or more among males in high-income countries and also in the low- and middle-income countries of the African, European and South-East Asian Regions.78% of global suicides occurred in low- and middle-income countries in 2015. India accounted for the highest estimated number of suicides in the world in 2012, according to a WHO report published in 2014 which found that one person commits suicide every 40 seconds globally.

Psychiatrists blame a fast-paced lifestyle, stress and complexities of living, breakdown of support systems and challenges of economic instability for the rising cases of depression. "The human psyche has become very fragile and there is a lack of social support. This is pushing many into depression and suicide ideation," Dr Sameer Malhotra, who heads the department of mental health and behavioural sciences at Max Hospital, said.

Experts say much of this can be prevented with timely psychological first aid, an emerging concept that promotes humane, supportive and practical help to a person in distress. "Physical first aid has been there for years. It is used to reduce discomfort due to bodily injury. But psychological first aid is an emerging concept. It attempts to give a healing touch to the mind," Dr Nimesh Desai, director of Institute of Human Behaviour and Allied Sciences (IHBAS).People experiencing depression often find a range of evidence-based coping mechanisms useful, from talking to someone they trust to exercising regularly or staying connected with loved ones.

Let us pledge to kill this monster by providing a patient and listening ear to the people who need it. Let us fight this demon together by understanding it and also by developing the art of listening rather than hearing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X-fAEMgQnt8&t=1s