Depression

A thing most common among the youths of this generation is depression. Such are its effects, that we can hardly dream of, but only know when we encounter news of someone going through it. I am not a psychologist, nor any sort of mental counselor. But, I am also a sufferer of this same disease, and I want to put forward my views regarding it.

First, I mentioned it to be a disease. Is it really one? How does it occur? Does it have any cure? If yes, how & what are the medications to be prescribed for it? Goes on the list of questions. Let me come to them one by one.

Is it a disease? Some say yes, some say it's not. The reality lies in the fact that we do not try to understand what is a sad mental condition, anxiety , and a depression. They might sound similar, but they are not... Sadness arises form something we do not want to see, or happen, or wish to. It is a simple fact and totally natural. Anxiety, on the other hand, is a bit reckless and often finds its way from the inability to have or do something we desire or crave for. That might be a bit acceptable but to a certain limit. And lastly comes depression, It is a state of mental condition where we can no more control our mind, we are so lost on a particular topic that the absence of it can have an enormous impact on our usual lifestyle. We may lose our smile, we may stop contacting people around us, even with people who matter to us, have a loss of sleep, loss of appetite, and in much more extreme cases, fatal issues like those of thinking of being a burden among everybody around us, thoughts of giving up, or even suicides. And the list goes on.

Let's understand by example. Taking the issue of Coronavirus or Covid-19, the hot topic in the market, I would ask you to think a bit. Yes, I know its a fatal issue, having claimed so many lives. I even have seen most of my mates telling me that they are going into depression hearing and seeing all the news around. Okay, agreed. Now my question is, how are you all so sure that you are in depression because of it? And, if you are, how have you thought to overcome it or what roles have you decided to stop it? Well, I would rather say it is not depression, but stress due to panic and anxiety by the annoying news around. The conditions in some countries have been fatal indeed but there lie reasons, like those of not listening to protocols levied beforehand. But, how would your depression help in the issue? Let's consider some facts. The effects are so severe in cold countries like the USA , UK, Europe only. Africa, Southern Asia, Australia, they do not have such a huge impact. Is there an issue with the temperature here? In our country also, I know strict actions are being taken to control it. But the severity is not yet as compared to the cold countries. Even the mortality rate is very low here, which shows that the entry of the virus does not mean straight death. It's right to panic in this scenario, but is it depression? Or is it anxiety due to panic? I urge them to note every case happening, not just deaths and infected people, but the facts we are overlooking beneath the scare. I see people in-home quarantine claiming , they are going into depression, cutting off contacts, and so on, Something I cannot relate to. Can you people not eat or sleep at all? Are you crying all day? Are you totally avoiding any sort of contact with anyone? Even I am sad, but not in depression. I was in depression when I lost my grandmother, on whose lap I grew up, the year before. Yes, I received a call from my mom, at 4 am on 3rd Dec 2019, that my grandmother was no more, 2 days after I returned from home and seeing her. I had my exams after a week, and in that situation, I was depressed, could not eat, could not sleep, hardly contacted anyone, could not study, sat crying the whole day. And that's what a depression is , in reality. Its something one cannot relate to , unless felt , and an equal amount of mental strength to overcome it . Though there is no competition here , still I used my issue to show the difference.

Depression has no medicines. In severe cases, one might need to contact a psychiatrist or a counselor for remedial therapies. But one can simply control it by a strong will. I know the ads and movies tell you to mask your emotions, put on a smiling face, and such solutions. I would rather say, if you wish, you should cry, and if you feel lonely, you should contact your closest friends and families, as they can provide you comfort. Keeping the matter within yourself will cause stress due to anxiety and that seems like depression. And that hurts, trust me, it does hurt, not just yourself but also to them who really care for you. Because of this simple thing, we often see trust issues arise, where there is no fault of either one, but the distance being created was unnecessary. And believe me or not, the truth is if you are in true depression, you would hardly be able to talk to anyone, not even your family members. You just would feel like staying alone and Lonely the whole time around, and this makes us lose our will power. And that's when wrong notions start to pop up in our mind and we think them to be the solutions. So a better way to reach that stage? Isn't it?

So I would conclude that one should properly know what are sadness, anxiety, and depression. And in this situation of home quarantine and total lock-down, do not take unnecessary stress, keep yourself busy, do not panic on hearing the news, keep your mind cool and think logically over it, and most importantly, maintain contact with your near and dear ones.

Stay Safe...... Thank you.