Depression

MENTAL illness is a disorder that affects your mood, thinking and behavior. Ex amples of mental illness include DEPRESSION, anxiety disorders, schizophrenia, bipolar or manic-depressive disorders, eating disorders, addictive behaviors, obsessive- compulsive disorders, etc. In all its varied forms, it is an illness!

And just like diabetes, ulcers, and heart blockages, mental illness requires medical attention and intervention. It is nothing to be ashamed of.

An estimated 10% of youth and adults suffer from mental illness.

Let us focus on depression.

Almost everyone gets depressed at times, but a big number of people are depressed nearly all the time.

Depression is one of the greatest problems in the world today. It has been called the common cold of emotional illnesses. It is more than just “feeling down”. It is a serious and complex illness caused by changes in brain chemistry. Other factors that contribute to the onset of depression include genetics, changes in hormone levels, certain medical conditions, some medications, substance abuse, conflict, stress, grief or difficult life circumstances.

My late father, a very productive person until his late 60’s, suffered from it during the last 7 to 10 years of his life. He would stay in bed most of the time, and would not wish to see visitors, nor interact with others. Unfortunately, we were not aware that medical intervention was immediately needed and could have helped, until several years had passed.

Unlike in America, where mental health issues are addressed in the open, and people see a psychiatrist when the need arises, sadly, it is still quite taboo in the Philippines to talk about it, much less, admit having mental illnesses in our families.

Unless it is recognized and accepted, urgent treatment is not given. Thus, the patient, the family and relatives suffer. The children of the mentally ill patients suffer immensely and pitifully, and can even be scarred for life.

At the first signs of depression, seek the help of a psychiatrist, and comply with the prescribed medication.

While we only have about 15 practicing psychiatrists in our city, not enough to meet the needs of our people, we are still blessed, as I was told that many provinces in Luzon, have zero practicing psychiatrists. Thus, patients from nearby provinces have to come to Baguio or have to go to Manila for treatment.

Rick Warren, the author of the Purpose Driven Life Book, wrote a very enlightening article on coping with some forms of depression, many of which are caused by faulty thinking. How we feel can be caused by our thoughts. If we think in a negative way, we are going to feel depressed. If we look at life from a negative perspective, we will feel down.

When faced with negative emotions, it would help to change the way one thinks.

Some helpful ideas that he shares are:

1. Focus on the facts, not on your feelings.

Feelings are not facts; they can be unreliable.

For example, if you feel like a failure, you will assume you are a failure.

The fact is, everyone is entitled to commit errors, and we can miss hitting our goals, without being a failure as a person.

One way to good mental health is to be open about your feelings. Be aware of them. Vent them out. That’s where having a good and competent confidant and/or psychotherapist is of great help. I would advise finding one who is spiritually well grounded.

John 8:32 “then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free”

The popular poem “Desiderata” says it clearly: “If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain or bitter, for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself”.

Everyone is unique. There is only one person you can be, and that is you. If you always try to imitate other people and act like them, you could get depressed. We tend to compare our weaknesses with other people’s strengths, forgetting that those people could be weak in areas where we may be strong.

Be yourself.

Sometimes we have the habit of helping people. But people do not always respond the way we want them to. This applies to our children, our friends, our spouse, or people we work with.

People respond or react in different ways. We cannot assume responsibility for their actions. We can influence people, but we cannot con-