Dealing with Depression
Looking through the Stigma
Dealing with depression is one of the greatest challenges facing society today. Even ailments per se were counted; it would be one of the most prevalent. Every year millions of people are affected with the disease. Moreover, it is not only a disease of the poor, even rich people tend to get it and sometimes in even greater number than the lower income ones. It is most commonly characterized by a set of symptoms the most common of which is a persistently low mood. It is true that we all have our bad days when we are not feeling so good and for no apparent reason. This occurrence can be triggered by any number of factors such as job loss, death of a loved one, going through financial loss and so on. However a general rule of thumb says that if any of the sad feelings last for more than 2 weeks, a physician must be consulted.
The disease is one of many illnesses that have a social stigma attached to them. This is because its symptoms are not really distinguishable from other seemingly innocuous behavioral changes. If somebody is cranky because of the disease, it might just be taken as a sign of him being bad tempered. Also, if someone is being lethargic and does not want to work and is losing interest in things, which is a common symptom, this might be taken as a form of laziness. Another symptom is that a person sleeps a lot and this is also taken as a sign of lethargy rather than a genuine medical condition.
Even if a person has been diagnosed properly, and it is known that the symptoms he has are because of his illness, he still cannot escape the stigma. This is because of the stigma historically associated with mental illness.
Dealing with depression is unfortunately very hard to do on one's own. The effects are very pervading and can have severe repercussions for one's cognition, something that limits the person's ability to perform daily functions. Hence expecting someone suffering from the disease to go to the doctor and get help himself would not be the right thing to do. Hence it is important that these people be reached out to. The negative effects do not end here and the disease can have several life threatening consequences. So difficult it becomes for the person to function on a daily basis that he starts contemplating suicide which unfortunately quite often becomes a reality as well. Thus it is very important to reach out to such people before anything as such happens.
There are a number of ways of dealing with depression. Some are conventional while others are not so conventional. One method is to go for medication. Such medicines seem to restore the chemical balance of the brain, something which is thought to be a root cause. However it is not always that medicines work and sometimes one is hooked on to them for life. They can thus be very addictive so one should try to stay away from them as much as possible.
Another method is to use therapy sessions with either a psychotherapist or a therapy group. This seems like a natural method to deal with the problem. Some people say that the ailment is a learned behavior, and has a great deal to do with how we analyze things around us and digest them. Simply teaching people how to think in a different way is the basis of the therapy approach. Psychotherapists try to talk with depressed people regarding their illness and in simple words, try to talk them out of it.
Group therapy sessions work in the same light however even though in a slightly different way. In group sessions, people tend to share their experiences. This provides social support and provides a perspective with which to watch and analyst one's own illnesses. Also, the comfort that is provided as part of the group sessions goes a long way in helping people deal with the ailment.
The ability of social support in eliminating or dealing with the disease cannot be under-estimated. It is true that people with the disease can be the most difficult to deal with. They might have a cranky demeanor, could get upset easily and so on. They might also become extremely unsocial and would not want to meet too many people. But it is exactly during these times that they need the support of their families the most. Families should try to see past the disease their family member has been afflicted with and help him out.
One thing is dealing with a person who has been afflicted with the disease. This is a personal endeavor. However many things need to be done in order to help people understand more about the disease and mental illnesses in general. This would more be a like dealing with depression as a societal endeavor. Many people who know that they have the condition simply do not go for treatment because of the fear of being labeled a mental patient. Also, the effects on one's career must also be highlighted. People who have depression have a hard time getting work due to the effects depression can have on their ability to perform. Even if they are cured completely, they will not readily be hired by companies due to the fear that they might slip into the disease again.
There are a number of ways with which ignorance regarding depression can be cured. One of them is to hold seminars in workplaces and other areas so that more and more people get to know about depression. Also the government should pass regulations that make employers accommodate people with depression easily. Work load arrangements and other methods can be used so that people with depression can perform and not let their symptoms get exacerbated at the same time. All these things should help us in dealing with depression as a society.