Depression is not just sadness
Depression is once again a hot topic nowadays. Suddenly this erstwhile hush-hush subject became a trending topic in the news, Twitter and Instagram. People discuss it more openly now and become curious about it.
But what is depression? Some of the most common descriptions of people who have this condition describe it as “the emotional pain that is more difficult than the physical pain,” “feeling paralyzed and immobile,” “my mind suddenly stops thinking,” “just wanted to be on my own,” “I do not want to wake up anymore,” “If I die today, I will welcome it” or, “I feel like I am in the middle of the ocean and I am shouting but nobody can hear me.”
Some people misconstrue depression as sadness. Sadness is a normal feeling that usually proceeds after a life stressor and is one’s emotional response to any predisposing negative event in life. We feel this when things go wrong, when relationships fail, when there are unexpected changes in our lives, when having any physical illness, or when receiving any bad news.
Yet, sadness can become pathological – when one’s crying episodes become more frequent or prolonged and the depressed mood becomes more unbearable, that no feeling of enjoyment can be derived from nearly anything that were once the sources or causes of pleasure. When this happens, depression may be setting in.
Depression happens when waking up in the morning is a tedious task to do, when combing one’s hair and brushing one’s teeth are so difficult, when dressing up should take more prodding and is prevailed upon by having no desire to look good or just even pleasant. One can also have a strong feeling that going out to mingle with others or to socialize to be such a big effort. One prefers instead to just sulk in one corner and cry. In a crowd, one can spot the odd sad face with drooping shoulders and dark circles around the eyes due to sleepless nights. And yes, the eyes that are said to be the window of one’s soul emit that deep-seated melancholic look.
Depression is that feeling of being alone with lingering thoughts of wanting to end everything. Some people may put on a happy and jovial disposition while deep inside them is the harboring of that nagging feeling and intention not to exist anymore. This has happened to many victims that took many by surprise when suicides have been committed.
One’s pervasive thoughts of feeling down should be countered by people who care for the victim and help in seeking immediate treatment so that a life can be saved. When supportive family members and friends provide the emotional support, then depression can be stopped – the earlier, the better, and a greater chance for recovery and return to normal life.
Depression should be acknowledged as a serious medical illness that can be treated and cured. Family and community support system for its victims and medical intervention are important.
The battle to win over depression may be difficult to many of its victims but it can be slowly achieved. The good news is that there’s always a beautiful life to live after it.
St. Luke’s Mood Clinic offers psychological and behavioral services to both adult and pediatric patients. It provides diagnostic, evaluation, psychopharmacologic treatment, and psychotherapy services to patients from its pool of well-trained and highly specialized psychiatrists, psychologists, neurologists, multi-disciplinary doctors, nurses and therapists. It gives personalized treatments to cases of depression, anxiety, and acute psychiatric and behavioral manifestations of medical, neurological and surgical conditions. It also renders psychiatric evaluation and management of comorbid disorders of dementia. For more information about your emotional and psychological concerns, please visit the St. Luke’s Medical Center – Quezon City Mood Clinic at the 3rd Floor of the Main Hospital Building or call tel. no. 7230101/0301 ext. 4303.