Secretive Suffering :(
What is wrong in saying that you are depressed when you actually are???
A close friend of mine is undergoing depression. But being a mental health professional I'm not able to help him get treated because he is refusing to seek help.
He has crying spells, mood swings, restlessness, loss of appetite, excessive weight loss, sleep disturbance, lack of motivation to work, lack of concentration & self- harming negative thoughts. He feels helpless & hopeless. But struggles hard to wear a mask to the outside world.
He started moving away from his girlfriend as he feels she might end up being a burden to him. His relationship is suffering at the hands of his depression.
He has complete insight of his illness &Just because I want him to get treated he is moving away from me as well.
Most of us feel that going through depression is something shameful. We are more concerned about what the society thinks of us & what people talk behind us. We maintain this so called 'image' even at the cost of our own welfare.
If a person suffering from depression denies treatment not only s/he suffers, their care givers suffer equally. Any person who experiences more than her/his share of difficulties or struggles at a point s/he breaks down.
I do not have any hesitation in saying that I too had gone through depression few years back when I didn't get through clinical psychology entrance exams & had serious family issues at the same time. I recovered seeking help from mental health professionals.
Depression has nothing to do with the mental strength or gender or education of a person. It can happen to anyone. After all we are all human beings.
When you know you are on continuous low mood please meet a counsellor/ psychologist , who will collect history & conduct assessments to know your state of mind and its affect ( mild/ moderate/ severe). If it can be sorted within the counselling sessions the counsellor/psychologist will help you. In case you need medications the therapist will refer you to a Psychiatrist, who might treat you with appropriate medication.
I wrote this article so that someone among us who might be secretly suffering can read this post & change her/his perception about depression & its treatment. Thereby make an attempt to get treated.
All of us are entitled to live life to the fullest.
Swathi Priya. P
A close friend of mine is undergoing depression. But being a mental health professional I'm not able to help him get treated because he is refusing to seek help.
He has crying spells, mood swings, restlessness, loss of appetite, excessive weight loss, sleep disturbance, lack of motivation to work, lack of concentration & self- harming negative thoughts. He feels helpless & hopeless. But struggles hard to wear a mask to the outside world.
He started moving away from his girlfriend as he feels she might end up being a burden to him. His relationship is suffering at the hands of his depression.
He has complete insight of his illness &Just because I want him to get treated he is moving away from me as well.
Most of us feel that going through depression is something shameful. We are more concerned about what the society thinks of us & what people talk behind us. We maintain this so called 'image' even at the cost of our own welfare.
If a person suffering from depression denies treatment not only s/he suffers, their care givers suffer equally. Any person who experiences more than her/his share of difficulties or struggles at a point s/he breaks down.
I do not have any hesitation in saying that I too had gone through depression few years back when I didn't get through clinical psychology entrance exams & had serious family issues at the same time. I recovered seeking help from mental health professionals.
Depression has nothing to do with the mental strength or gender or education of a person. It can happen to anyone. After all we are all human beings.
When you know you are on continuous low mood please meet a counsellor/ psychologist , who will collect history & conduct assessments to know your state of mind and its affect ( mild/ moderate/ severe). If it can be sorted within the counselling sessions the counsellor/psychologist will help you. In case you need medications the therapist will refer you to a Psychiatrist, who might treat you with appropriate medication.
I wrote this article so that someone among us who might be secretly suffering can read this post & change her/his perception about depression & its treatment. Thereby make an attempt to get treated.
All of us are entitled to live life to the fullest.
Swathi Priya. P
Counselling Psychologist
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