Depression – a silent killer that a lot of us do not even realize that we are actually a victim of it. With time, situation, responsibilities and even our work, as adults we often tend to move away from ourselves to cater to our responsibilities and commitments.
If you look at our lives today, the overall picture is that although we have access to the best resources with the click of a button, we are all running a race. The race is not to win but instead to survive. With the cost of living increasing every day and various other situations surrounding us, we are heading into an unknown future.
The constant battle to survive
Our professional and personal lives take a major toll on our overall wellbeing. The constant challenge of moving on and being strong, suppressing our feelings and thoughts, and various other factors often results in a situation where we are under constant stress. This, in turn, results to us getting into a depressive state.
The worst part is that many adults do not even know when they get disconnected from themselves and get into a zone or character that is not even close to who they really are. In some cases, it often results in the worst-case situation SUICIDE.
So why is this happening to us?
Every profession has its own positive and negative points, which we are aware of but often tend to overlook. In the attempt of providing a helping hand to others, we overlook ourselves. Similarly, to ensure that we care our lovedones, and secure their future,we often make various compromises, which also leads to frustration and the feeling of being helpless.
We are so busy being there for everybody else that we do not realize there are times we require a support that can pull us through the dark days. This, in turn,makes us a patient or victim of depression due to chronic stress.
A Look at the present situation of people undergoing depression
The recent statistics released by the World Health Organization revealdisturbing figures. As per the latest updates, the number of people worldwide suffering from depression is close to 300 million and counting. Simultaneously, people suffering from mental disorders like anxiety are touching close to 260 million. The worst is yet to come – many people are living with depression and anxiety and there is condition remains undiagnosed.
In the US alone, close to 43.8 million people every year are victims of mental illness. Around 10 million of them are living with serious mental health conditions while 2.4 million are schizophrenics. The stats of people living with ananxiety disorder are close to 42 million, severe depression is 16 million and 6.1 millionpatients with bipolar disorder. The results, close to 90% of people with underlying mental issues commit suicide.
How can we turn these figures around?
The alarming numbers is a sign that we need to take control of our lives. But, how is this possible? In his latest Ted-ex speech Dr. Prem Jagyasi told us about seven ways to tackle this problem. According to him, the first part of dealing with your problem is by ‘knowing yourself’. You should accept the fact that you need help. Many of us live in a state of denial that we are not depressed. A lot of us act normal because we are afraid that if we break down, we will let our loved ones down. By accepting your problem, you are one move one step closer to solving it.
The second point that speech comes up with is that of ‘learning to love yourself’. We have to take a step back and ask ourselves – What good is this pretense when eventually the truth will come out. It is not wrong to accept that as humans we need help. Having a mental condition does not mean we are weak. It is a sign that we have pushed ourselves to the edge and now it is thetime we look after ourselves.
Being responsible for our loved ones or our professional relationship does not mean that we only give; sometimes taking is not so bad. Seeking help will only make us perform and fulfill our responsibilities better since we can clear the dark clouds in our minds and bounce back to who we were.
