Depression – What it means to Suffer Alone
At some point in your life, you get lost and can’t seem to find your way. While you wallow in pain and self-pity, you completely shut out everyone and give in to the lies your mind tells us.
Somehow, you find a way to put the pieces of the irrational thoughts together, they begin to make sense and push you to make regrettable decisions. This is part where you have to realize you’re not alone, that there’s so much more to life than throwing a pity party.
Contrary to a lot of beliefs, no one is above depression. Clinical Depression is a viral mental illness and a lot of cases lead to suicide – about 39,000 people every year do not get out of it alive.
On the other hand, those who do not attempt to take their lives will be so paralyzed by fear that they will be alive, but not living. Their life becomes purposeless and even though they are surrounded by a bulk of people, they still feel alone.
From where the rest of the world stands, it may seem like a depressed person has it all and life couldn’t be better. Unfortunately, what we see is what they want us to, it’s a façade.
Asides from the false outward appearances, a victim of depression prefer not to let anyone in and somehow, the mind convinces them to stay that way. That’s one terrible thing about depression: you begin to feel like the worst person alive, a burden to the world and a total waste of space.
When you go through this phase, people around you seem happy and they seem to have their life in one piece. The last thing you want to do is be a joy-wrecker.
What Causes Depression?
The causes are not quite explicit, but there are several events that could lead to depression:
- Abuse: Could be sexual, physical or emotional.
- Life changing events: Death of a loved one, moving from one place to another, losing a job.
- Anxiety
- Major illness
- Genetics
Among all the above causes, a steady cause of depression is abuse, especially through words. There’s a lot more words can do than we know, it can make a great nation and also ruin the best ideas. How we treat people and what we say to them matters a lot.
Effects of Depression
- Having Insomnia or oversleeping
- Eating too much or total lack of appetite
- Adding or losing excessive weight
- Fatigue
- Suicidal thoughts
- Difficulty concentrating or remembering
- Aggression
- Restlessness and worthlessness
- Excessive crying
- Losing interest in virtually everything
- Lack of motivation
A lot of us can relate and the truth is it’s quite hard to come out of this and still stand strong. From the outside, it looks easy and we tend to say stuff like “You’re not the only one faced with challenges, get your sh*t together!” We forget that they’re in a dark place and the glimpse of light that keeps you going is non-existent for them.
Comment (01)