Talk about Depression

In the current times, more than 300 million people around the globe suffer from depression, that is 4.4% of the entire human population. Most importantly, the number of people being affected by depression and anxiety disorders is increasing at an alarmingly rapid rate. Now, it would be absurd and taboo if we DON’T talk about this issue. Now isn’t THAT weird that we don’t talk about ‘the leading cause of disability‘ in the world? Moreover, suicide is the leading cause of death in 15–29 year olds, and we still treat it something worth not to be talked about. Doesn’t that sound tragic and illogical?
Despite depression being this common of an illness, it is heartbreakingly true that we still don’t take it seriously, and this is the reason most of the people are not aware about it and fail in supporting and understanding people who suffer from depression and anxiety disorders. So, what is depression, is it a real illness, can it be cured by your own, and is talking all you need?
What is Depression? Is it real?
Depression is a mood disorder and indeed a very real one. Someone in depression may have persistent feelings of sadness, loss of interest in activities (anhedonia), feelings of guilt and changes in appetite. The person may perform poorly in school, workplace and may have a hard time performing daily activities, it affects a person’s ability to perform efficiently in important aspects of his life. If not addressed timely, it may take on a more severe form, so it is very important to pay attention to your mental health because just like physical health, if not treated timely, can prove to be devastating and fatal.

What are the symptoms of depression?

1. Sad/Depressed mood
   A person suffering from depression may feel sad or depressed most of the time, being with family, friends doesn’t make any difference, it is this constant feeling of sadness and nothing seems to make it go away.
2. Loss of pleasure in activities
   Anyone suffering from depression may lose interest in activities which he previously used to enjoy, there is no sense of pleasure or fulfilment, nothing seems to excite the person. The person may altogether lose the ability to feel joy and delight.
3. Appetite changes
   Changes in appetite is also a common symptom to look out for, either the person starts eating too much or too little, as a result he can gain or lose weight.
4. Changes in sleep
   Depression can also lead to disturbances in sleep cycle of a person, one may start sleeping too much (hypersomnia) or may have difficulties falling or staying asleep.
5. Feeling hopelessness
   A person going through depression may feel hopeless, about future and about getting better.It is very important to look out for someone who is going through depression and understand them, and care for them. Be there to listen to them when they talk about it because most people don’t.
6. Indecisiveness/ Concentration problems
   Person may seem more indecidive and may have problems concentrating, he may not be able to focus for a longer period of time and it can be very very frustrating and discouraging for that person.
7. Sense of worthlessness
   In this whole process of continuation of symptoms, it is possible that person loses his sense of worth, his self esteem and confidence, make sure that person is getting the support and warmth he needs at that time and keep reminding how important and wonderful that person is.
8. Fatigue/Restlessness
   Feeling tired all the time despite getting a good amount of sleep is one of the symptoms of depression. A person going through depression can sleep all day and still feel tired, moreover feelings of restlessness are also persistent when someone is going through depression.
9. Thoughts of suicide
   Now this is a very serious one to look at, people suffering from depression may feel suicidal and if they ever mention it to you, it is not something that should ever be ignored. According to WHO reports, every year, close to 800,000 people die from suicide, which means, there is a suicide every 40 seconds and is amongst the leading causes of death in 15–29 year olds.
   These were the most common symptoms which someone going through depression have. Most of the times, the feelings of sadness and depression gets mixed up and people are not able to differentiate between them, but sadness can be for a brief period of time where as if these feelings of sadness persist for a period longer than 2 weeks, then there is a possibility that it is depression what the person is going through.
   It is very essential to know what depression is all about and rip off that taboo tag it has carried for so long so that more and more people are willing to talk about it and more and more people are willing to lend them a helping hand. It is a very serious issue and a very cruel illness, if someone communicates about how they feel, it becomes our duty and responsibility to hear them out, be compassionate to them and let them know it can be treated effectively and they don’t have to go through that pain forever. Don’t let them give up on hope and simply be there for them, be there to listen to them.