It has been reported by the World Health Organization (WHO) that Depression is the leading cause of ill health and disability worldwide. Additionally, more than 300 million people are now living with depression, an increase of more than 18% between 2005 and 2015. In the midst of the global COVID-19 pandemic, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by hopelessness and despair, as the number of COVID-19 cases continues to rise across the country.
The stress of social isolation, the worry about jobs, money, and health, and the profound feelings of loss that many of us are experiencing at the moment can trigger depression for the first time or exacerbate symptoms if you’ve already been diagnosed.
For persons who have not experienced any form of depression, there are some things that persons with depression which could be understood by all.
Depression isn't make-believe
Persons experiencing depression did not choose to be that way. There are many persons in our society that believe depression is purely a choice. Moreover, they go further to think that it's all in the person's head and that they can simply decide to stop feeling depressed if they really want to. Unfortunately, they might make certain comments like " you just need suck it up" or "just choose to feel happy" when speaking with someone that is experiencing depression. According to the American Psychiatric Association, depression is a mental health diagnosis. Someone struggling with depression cannot just choose to feel better any more than someone with the stomach flu can just choose to feel fine instantly. People with depression can choose to seek treatment and get help, but that may be hard for them to do especially in societies with certain beliefs.
In addition, the areas of mental and physical health also have a deeper connection than many persons realize. Many mental health conditions such as depression can lead to physical symptoms. Someone with depression may experience aches and pains, digestive problems, and headaches. We don't expect people that have a physical sickness to just decide to feel better, and people with depression deserve that same understanding and consideration.
Depression is much more than feeling sad
Many persons in our society believe that depression is just a matter of feeling very sad, but that is not a correct statement. Even though sadness is commonly felt among those that have been diagnosed with depression, extreme sadness does not automatically imply that they are experiencing depression.
Feeling sad is a normal emotion that everyone experiences from time to time while experiencing depression is described as something that is ongoing, can last a long time and often includes other feelings and emotions. According to the www.betterhelp.com, persons struggling with depression may have feelings of loneliness, emptiness, worthlessness, anxiety, anger, and irritability. Depression is not something that can be treated with time the same way that sadness can be. Depression is not a feeling, it's a mental health disorder.
They can't “just snap out of it”
Depression is not something that persons can “just snap out of”. Imagine how frustrating this must be to persons experiencing depression to constantly be told to just stop feeling what they are feeling. These statements unfortunately indicate that the person they're in conversation with don’t fully understand how they are actually feeling. Depression isn’t a choice though some people mistakenly believe that it happens when you allow yourself to wallow in your grief or sadness. Additionally, they may also think it can be cured with positive thoughts or a change in attitude.
In reality, depression isn’t a sign of self-pity, weakness, or laziness. It is a medical condition in which your brain chemistry, function, and structure are negatively affected by environmental or biological factors
Depression doesn’t discriminate it can happen to anyone
Lastly, depression doesn't discriminate. It knows no boundaries; it can affect all types of people from all walks of life:- rich, poor, talented, average, young or old; depression doesn’t see a difference and affects all kinds of people.
As we navigate the “new normal” where the obvious focus is on maintaining our physical health, let’s also place a bit more focus on our mental health which is undoubtedly also being affected by, among other things, change in environment, financial situations , routines and relationships. Don’t be afraid to talk to someone about your emotional state with trusted friends or a trained professional and take due care to focus on all aspects of your health, physical, mental, emotional and spiritual.
Contributed by Vice President Shauna McLeod
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