Daily Times

Rejection, competition, fear of failure, family expectations, humiliation, feeling of worthlessness, insomnia and surroundings are some of the many reasons of depression. What is depression? Is it sadness or grief due to some unfortunate situation? No, it is more than sadness; society perceives it wrongly. Anybody can experience it irrespective of economic conditions, relationship status and networking. Sometimes, there is nothing wrong and everything feelsperfect, but a person falls into depression. It is normal, it is natural, it is not always a matter of “lack” of faith.It is a phase that keeps striking at regular intervals.Its persistency is not good at all, as it leads to clinical depression, a dangerous condition for which treatment must be sought.

Some experts contemplate it as a mood disorder owing to a persistent feeling of sadness and loss of interest, which may lead to a variety of physical and emotional problems such as inferiority complex and hopelessness. One must understand that it is a combination of both psychological and physical factors. Psychological factors include sleeplessness, loneliness, negative thoughts, and failures, which give rise to physical factors such as chemical imbalances in the brain associated with serotonin (happy chemical), dopamine (feel-good chemical) and cortisol(stress hormone) abnormality. It is not as simple as it is mad out to be. It needs psychological and pharmacological treatments and medical aid, same as for fever or any other disease, as per the National Institute of Mental Health.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) refers to depression as a mental disorder asover 260 million people of all ages undergo this menace globally; almost 0.8 million suicides are reported. WHO further terms it a leading cause of disability worldwide and a major contributor to the overall global burden of disease.

In today’s scenario, many young peopleare suffering from depression, which may lead to deep disappointment. Many young people are overemotional, excited and reactive. The USA alone identified ten percent of adults struggling with depression. Adolescence is often troubling because of surroundings. Teens are often troubled and taunted by conflicting messages from parents, relatives, friends and society, hence making them feel that their lives are surrounded bydarkness. They are confused, uncertain, shy, stressed and hopeless. Even small kids are taking pills. This may increase the use of narcotics.

The World Health Organisation refers to depression as a mental disorder as over 260 million people of all ages undergo this menace globally

Teen and adult guidance is the need of the hour, more than ever. To get fruitful results, courses to cope with these stresses must be there at all levels in school and colleges.In our society, “psychiatrist” is a terrifying word. Many of us do not like to be referred to a psychiatrist. It is not that simple;depression can even kill you or make your life miserable. Factors are numerous;it is not only the financial factor, or the UK would not have launchedits Ministry of Loneliness.

At some point, we all have been through depression due to feelingsof emptiness, sleeplessness, and darkness with no sign of dawn. There are feelings of failure, infinite pain, no relief, loss of interest and excitement, loss of appetite, restlessness and worthlessness. It happens due to our surroundings, relatives, friends, family members and expectations. The impact of these feelings can alleviate over time so it cannot be termed as depression. But overthinking and persistency of these negative thoughts along with surroundings makesit a Pandora’s box of darkness that surrounds you badly.It may lead to physical changes in the body. It could have some impact on body cells and organs, particularly stomach. For this, medical attention is mandatory.

However, to cope with the evil of depression, stress management is essential. Remember, we are our own hero. Try to manage it in the best possible way through connection with nature: feel the cool morning breeze, rising of sun and walking barefoot on wet grass. One may cope with the challenge of depression by preparing breakfast, socialising, meeting loved ones, and sharing what bothers or hurts, changing dietary habits and monotonous routine, increasing water intake to dilute stress hormones, company of kids, melodious sounds of birds, innovation, book reading, movies, songs, shopping, exercise, treating others with love,andby managing the sleep pattern.

These are some of the many ways to get rid of stress and depression. We shouldn’t forget that our one and only brain is not a site to dump useless things. That is not a judicious approach at all. Be positive, be creative and be proactive.

The writer works as a Health Safety and Environment Officer at Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Centre