By Raja Khalid Shabbir
Depression hunts in an indiscriminate manner, haunting the hunted till he pays with nothing less than his life. The list of the fallen is endless, the latest entry is the front man for the American rock band Linkin Park- Chester Bennington, which has once again fueled emotions and forced many to speak on the ever widening net being spun by depression.
The late novelist William Styron described depression as a “brainstorm”. A depressive mind greatly weighs the perception of others. Every move is conditioned to being perfect in the sight of others. Their feeling of happiness depends on what others have to say. They feel dejected at the most rapturous moments and sleep after deep deliberations decides to part ways. Even anti-depressive medications play a part in altering the sleep-wake cycle. Patients have to face insomnia or hypersomnia, despite many other side effects, for the greater part of the day thus limiting daily activities. To say the least, a depressed person views the world through a cracked lens.
When you go bowling, you know you are in someone else’s shoes, similarly the victims of depression always find themselves trapped in a body foreign to them where everything is darker than night and blacker than Vantablack. For the many who seek refuge in suicide, it is not that the ideation of death suddenly starts to seem appealing, in fact it is their only escape. Like being at the top floor of a burning building and the only way out is the window.
For the healthy mind, depression is like opening a book only to find empty pages. The fit can sympathize with the ailing, they can guess what depression might feel like but they will never know as depression reveals itself only to the unfortunates.
It is a common mistake to confuse depression with sadness. The latter being a temporary human emotion, is soon replaced by some other feeling. Sadness in response to some negative life event is normal but when all is going right and sadness makes an appearance that is where it becomes a depressive disorder. The telltale symptoms of depression include having a persistently low mood for two or more weeks associated with loss of interest in daily events, reduced self-esteem, bleak ideas about the future, guilt, inability to eat and lack of concentration. Moreover decision making becomes no less difficult than jumping in a pool of water for the first time.
Just as an addict’s net casts wide, the effects of depression are not limited merely to the diseased individual rather the people sharing day to day interactions with such a person are also caught up in this unforgiving whirlpool.
The roots of depression can be found deep within an individual’s childhood. Starting from Parental neglect to abuse of any form (physical, sexual or mental) to bullying in school or on the web. Later on any event from losing a loved one to child birth to menopause, any consequential life event can precipitate depression. Belonging to a low socioeconomic class or a sedentary lifestyle may also be the triggering factor.
The most distressing situation is when the diseased is unable to find the reason for his persistently depressed mood. At times he makes himself believe that he is perfectly fine, still at other times fiddles his brain in search for the answer but fails to grasp anything substantial. This is a never ending battle between the patient and himself and may at times be attributed to genetic and hormonal factors.
Ironically human brain does not have any pain receptors and thus cannot feel the slightest of pains yet depression, despite being a mental disorder, causes immeasurable pain and agony to the patient.
The more natural treatment modalities involve as simple as eating the right food (evidence supports salmon and tuna which contains omega-3 fatty acids. Folic acid present in Spinach and avocado is also beneficial), going out for a walk (which boosts endorphins, the feel-good chemicals), busying the mind in some routine activity and most importantly “trying” to keep negative thoughts at bay can give much needed relief to the patients. Those with severe symptoms should move onto medications and therapy (cognitive behavioral and electroconvulsive) but these are like a double-edged sword having both good and bad sides.
Mental health has always yielded when put up against physical health issues due to its intangible nature. There is a dire need to uplift the status of psychiatric diseases in our societies by raising awareness through public platforms, so that the victims feel safe to make a timely call for help.
*The writer is a medical doctor based in Islamabad. He tweets at @rajakhalidshab