Introduction
We are living in difficult times. A very large section of the population throughout the world are suffering from the terrible mental malady which usually goes by the name of ‘Depression’. The term is used loosely and covers a wide range of emotional problems.
General Discussion
Broadly speaking, Depression is of 2 types Acute and Chronic. Chronic Depression means a long- standing mental suffering which can last for decades or even the lifetime of an individual. Acute Depression can manifest suddenly in persons who are not usually depressed; it can precipitate under stressful situations like bereavement, death of a loved one, divorce, breaking down of relationships, loss of livelihood, financial distress, incurable diseases and many other adverse circumstances.
Victims of Chronic Depression are indeed unfortunate. Since depression causes low moods, these people constantly suffer from lack of motivation, lethargy, inertia, inability to concentrate, irritability, pessimism, sadness and so on. Low mood also sparks fear and a sense of hopelessness in the heart of the affected individual.
As the Earth revolves in it’s own orbit, many events go on happening around us all the time. People from all walks of life go out for work; they do productive work which create satisfaction and confidence etc.; but the depressed ones feel trapped and cocooned inside themselves, unable to take part in routine everyday activities.
In many cases, they sit inert or lie in bed throughout the day, oblivious of life passing-by. The sun rises, and sets, mornings come, birds chirp outside the window, children play on the streets and in parks, the flowers open their petals to reach out to the sunshine but sad hearts have nothing to reach out to, nothing to look forward to.
Bees bumble, trees nod in the breeze, green fields welcome the weary traveller to rest under a shaded tree, quietly listening to the gurgling of a small stream flowing nearby.
A disheartened soul is deprived of these simple everyday pleasures. They are simply unable to get out of their beds, draw the curtains, open the window and appreciate the beautiful Earth and participate in the ‘Celebration of Life’…
‘Jagater Anondo Yagna’
What is NOT Depression
We must remember that, apparently normal and happy human beings also have their dark moments, when they feel very sad and demoralised, fearful and apprehensive of impending disasters, imagined or real. But these feelings usually do not immobilise them, nor are all these symptoms present in any single individual. They bounce out of the low times by themselves or with help of temporary medications, and go back to their normal way of life.
Only when these symptoms linger for more than two weeks, that one has to consider that ‘Depression’ might be developing.
One must be aware that ‘Depression’ is different from ‘Grief’. Many kinds of adverse circumstances described above can induce sadness, feelings of hopelessness, a tendency to give up, take refuge in alcohol or other psychotropic substances etc.. There may also be an element of self-pity or lack of self-respect. But all these must not be confused with ‘Clinical Depression’. Life-shattering experiences can create a dis-balanced state of mind temporarily, but if it is self-limiting, then it cannot be classified as Depression.
All of us have felt sad at times, but sadness is not the same as having depression. The grieving process also is natural and unique to every individual. Interestingly, they share some of the features of depression.
Warning Signs
What are the manifestations that are commonly noticed in depressed persons?
Members of the family and close friends must become aware of the fact that something is going wrong with a loved one, if a few or all of these symptoms persist for 2 weeks or more.
- Low mood, pessimism
- Feelings of hopelessness and unhappiness
- Lack of Self-confidence & Self-esteem
- Breakdown of communication
- Fear, Anger, Irritability
- Feelings of deep Sadness
- Self-hatred, tendency of Self-harm
- Apprehension of impending disasters
- Anxiety, Guilt, Negativity
- Insomnia or Over-sleeping
- Unable to concentrate, Absence of Motivation
- Loss of interest in favourite activities
- Inability to perform daily chores
- No Will to Live
- Lack of Self-care
- Suicidaltendency
Not all these occur in each case but many of these are observed frequently.
