Mental health awareness month: let’s talk about depression

Remember: people diagnosed with Depression are usually smarter than the average person, they have a better perspective of the world and they see situations more realistically.

 

Depression is not what you think.

Depression is not romantic, it’s not a thing that you can heal with a kiss, it’s not photos in black and white on Tumblr, it’s not a thing that makes you feel proud of it and you want to show it  to everyone. Depression destroys your brain and you can barely notice that because you are more concerned on your problems to see that they’re really destroying you . It’s a process that never ends and makes you sink in a sea of nothing. It’s not laziness, it’s not sad songs, it’s not an excuse.  Depression can make you lose contact with people, can make you want to be dead, to not be a weight for the world. Depression is not eating for days and then eat all the fridge, it’s not showing for days, it’s the frustrating feeling of desperately wanting to have fun but you just can’t because there are a lot of thoughts buzzing in your head and you don’t know how to stop them. There are like two, three, four voices that are all talking in just a moment, saying a lot of things that destroy you in 0.05 seconds. Depression can make you feel lonely, useless, a failure, a problem for you friends and for you family because it makes you feel so weak and you don’t want people to see you broken. Depression make you seem normal even if you’re living in the hell and few people can understand it and they went through this hell as you. It’s knowing you have to study for an exam, to clean your house, to talk with people and just not doing it, it’s not being able to sleep, it’s no concentration, it’s feeling exhausted and what about the suicidal thoughts? Remember, it’s not just feeling sad, it’s something more, something that I hope it happens to none.

Scientifically talking, depression can bring a lot of symptoms like headache, stomacache , gain loss or gain weight. Your immune system is weak and you have more possibilities to get an heart attack and the level of dopamine and serotonin is increased. The areas of your brain litterally stop working and it starts to fuction in another way that is different from the initial one.

What can cause depression:

• A traumatic life event ;
• Relationship breakdown ;
• Financial difficulties ;
• Bullying.

There can be also genetic factors that can lead to bipolar disorder.

Let’s talk about number: 154 million people are depressed and 900,000 people commit suicide every year.

A 2013 study made by the University of Queenslad  shows just over 4% of the population is diagnosed with depression, which is the second-leading cause of disability in the world, after the heart attack. The middle East, North Africa, Eastern Europe and the Caribbean are the saddest places with 5% of the population being diagnosed. The results may show an unrealistic percentage in Asia, where there’s a taboo around mental health that causes people not to seek help.

With depression comes suicidal thoughts. You will thinks it’s better die that live this for another day. Suicidal warning signs are: talkig of being a burden, acting impulsively, feeling excessively guilt or shame,  feeling of being trapped, feeling hopeless or helpless, lack of interest,  increasing of alchol or drugs,  changes in eating or sleeping habits, talkingof wanting to commit suicide, changing personality or mood swings. Suicide prevention line: 1-800-273-TALK(8255).

It’s known that people with depression are usually smarter than the average, have better perspectives on the world and see more realistically. Famous people  who suffered of depression are J.K.Rowling, Emma Thompson, Jim Carrey, Charles Dickens and Lincoln.

Remember that being depressed or just mental ill is not a shame and you have to seek help immediately.

STOP THE STIGMA.

-Stefania