We Accept Depression, Do we? Why I feel so qualified to talk depression? No, I am no clinical specialist. But Yes, I know depression more than a clinical analyst. And no, I haven’t done any detailed research on it. But yet I feel like knowing it like a next-door neighbor, or maybe, a baby I carried in me for an undue time period. Yes, I have been through Depression. Or maybe, to grammatically phrase it right, I have been depressed. Yes, it felt like a synonym to my own self. Let me try to walk you through my tireless journey. I was 24 years when I first started feeling empty. I would sleep for hours & hours and yet, wake up all tired & drained. It was like an endless pitch dark night, with no signs of dawn & an equal infinite pain somewhere I could neither spot nor get relieved of. The monster I had heard of as a child that lived under the bed now actually lived in me, or probably, on me. Howsoever I try playing with words or adjective my thoughts, I yet feel shrunk & short on my word strength to describe it. My concealer was my only hope to face the world On the brighter side, all those empty visions, lost moments & inner disconnections somewhere were energizing me to fearlessly layout that never-ending journey of menace to anyone who mistook this intense clinical disparity. Now, years later to that successful battle against the chronic nuisance, I in myself feel like an encyclopedia of myths & realities. One of the most things to remember is, every Sadness is not depression. There is a fine difference between sadness and depression. Not every time those eyes shed tears can be conceived as Depression. Depression is not a feeling that goes away in a blink. It’s a time-consuming process. Depression in Islam : Yes, it’s not a byproduct of being away from Islam. It equally is a part of Islam as is inhaling oxygen, feeling hungry during mid-day or exhausted at the day end. It’s as natural. It’s normal. It’s to exist. It’s the co-existence our ambias (prophets) also experienced. But yet, we evaluate the victims with phrases as You don’t believe in Allah, Allah pe Yaqeen Rakho, Nashukri na karo,mayoosi kufr hai And I myself after being a resident of the same town of downs till some years earlier from now can very well vouch on the fact that it is undoubtedly one of the deadliest ends you can ever encounter. It’s as inherent to the human race as is to exist, and as ancient as is the history. My mother narrated me a popular incident that happened with Prophet Yaqoob (A.S) when he was separated from his son, Prophet Yousef (A.S) He so miserably cried that he lost his eyesight – yes, I too could feel my eyes with visionless during the depression. Now, doesn’t that show sadness is a real emotion to feel and it doesn’t get gone by just expressing but justifies grieving as a whole process, or maybe, a heritage of mankind. Our Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) has felt sadness in his heart and cried multiple times. For instance, he cried at the death of his son Ibrahim He multiple times cried during his prayer and has also burst into tears when he saw the martyrdom of his grandsons in his dream- yes it feels so good to cry when crammed with depression, cry out aloud and cry to myself and yet cry a lot more Happiness is a choice : Depression is more than just a feeling of being down in the dumps or blue for a few days, it is losing interest in what normally relaxes you. In such a situation when somebody asks you what’s wrong, you reply with either of the below: “I am not well” “I don’t feel Happy” “I feel I am failing” “I’m good” “Everything is okay” “I will be fine tomorrow” These are a few of the replies that you tend to immediately reply with. Depression is more than feeling sad and the misconception our society believes is it is sadness and it will go away. Depression can happen to anybody regardless of their economic condition, relationship status or social networking. The person having it all can fall into depression as well. Sometimes everything is perfect and you drop in depression. Are You Depressed? Depression is a phase that comes and goes but it keeps striking you every then and now. Depression is a misunderstood disease, It is just like you got the fever, you go to a doctor for medical aid and get treated. How to figure out if you are depressed. 1) You must have five of the following symptoms for at least 2 weeks. 2) You feel these emotions for most of the day every day. Following are the Symptoms: Losing interest in activities that normally excites you Weight loss/Gain Appetite Loss/Gain Insomnia(less than 5 hours)/Hypersomnia (more than 10 hours) Lethargic/Restless Trouble concentrating/remembering Feeling worthless/guilty Frequent crying Suicidal thoughts These are 9 main symptoms of Depression and should not be gone unnoticed. You are your own “Hero”: While going through this, it may seem like it never is going to be over, the nights feel longer but it does, with the right treatment and required external support, it does. It may take several months. As a family of depressive patient, my advice to all of you is to handle, I know it’s extremely hard, you get to the points where you give up but don’t let that person know you’re hopeless, keep telling them that you know they will get better, take better care of them, make them eat healthily, stay around them, stay in contact and don’t leave them alone. And trust me it’s all going to be over and you’re going to look back and be surprised that you once thought life was not worth living. Nabya Shahid is a Producer of Nadeem Malik at SAMAA TV. Her interests include reading and writing about social issues. She could be reached at @nabyashahid