Enough with the stats. Here's how to tackle depression
It is impossible for a healthy person to imagine the internal disposition of someone with clinical depression. It’s a peculiar imprisonment where the person has a bent or slowed view of their own self, others and everything that constitutes the world around.
The relationship between the person and the environment becomes dislodged in a way that though it feels reachable, it is but forever in vain.
Only when a person commits suicide; be it the recent cases of Arjun Bharadwaj or Kriti Tripathi or the many before them, we are reminded of the statistics that highlight the population suffering from depression. As significant a reminder as these deaths are, they merely provide us the occasional self-acknowledgement.
Yes, the idea of “talking about depression” has become sporadic in our society, one that has to squeeze time for things "perceived" as important, but not accepted as dearly as life itself.
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It is often misunderstood that the onus of upholding the underlying dos and don’ts concerning mental health vests in the hands of those who are suffering from it.
Here are a few pointers we can help ourselves with to efficiently identify, cope and comprehend depression. Note that this is not to be put to use whenever you “feel necessary”, but to be adhered to in a perpetual manner.
Start with accepting that it is a medical condition
A frequent, but severe mistake that affects the entire sphere of mental illness is that it is viewed as something different from physical maladies. Differences do exist, but only in the modes of treatment but never in their consideration.
A definite step would be to read about it and form a rational acceptance that depression, bipolar disorder or GAD are in fact medical conditions. They emerge as medical ailments and are treated like ones. This is the beginning of an aspired global perception that is favorable to those suffering, and will give you the prowess to take action instead of dwelling on it’s “unusuality”.
Stop saying, 'but suicide is not the solution to your problems'
The quoted sentence above is often used soon after a suicide is reported and it must be abolished immediately. Understand that suicide is not a solution but a consequence of that very imprisonment. A change in understanding the "why" of suicide would be much better as it reveals that people do not want to "take their lives", instead, they wish to ‘stop living’ the one that is filled with horrors of melancholia.
Even in awareness programmes we use the tagline, “suicide is not the solution” unaware of our privilege as healthy individuals. By this, instead of giving space to the depressed or suicidal person we are simply asking them to be hopeful, which they are tired of.
Don’t just talk, chat!
“Let’s talk about depression on this world mental health day.” Of course, but why just on a particular day? We never “talk about” diseases like malaria or flu on such pertinent days because we know of them enough to have a causal relationship with them. We do not need them to be addressed separately or only when someone known or unknown to us has died.
Don’t just talk but also chat about it, make it the theme of your dinner conversations, pick a time when you’re with a friend or family or even on a date. You don’t have to be official, a casual gossip is all that it takes to establish equal recognition of illnesses. Normalcy is the key.
Write about it, anywhere, anytime.
While personal journaling has its own health benefits for the mentally ill, a bit of social media engagement by the allies will fuel the normalcy we are trying to bring. Post on Facebook or tweet about how can you make your surroundings more inclusive of mental illness or mental health. If you write short stories or even haikus make them anecdotal of a friend’s depression or simply write about something you recently learned.
Writing about mental illness regularly can help people who are wanting to come out with their condition and at times even prevent situations like suicide.
Prepare first-aid skills
Depression is a gradually emerging condition and friends and family are the ones to have the initial contact with someone who shows the said symptoms. Mental Health First Aid provides guidelines and manuals within certain demographic contexts which one can easily learn to become equipped to deal with a particular situation. There are things that you shouldn’t say to a depressed individual with suicidal thoughts and things you must.
Prepare yourself with the help of guidelines like this for suicide or this for depression. Keep a list of reliable therapists/psychiatrists ready around you or the person you know.
Turn to art for a diverse understanding
We can always turn to art for a simpler and subtle understanding. Take Lars Von Trier who, in his film Melancholia, depicted a striking visual imagery of depression that is so well crafted, it can almost serve a look into the mind of a clinically depressed individual. Artistic expression is an underestimated medium for depicting complex subjects.
It not only has the power to generate awareness, but also the ability to empower people to confront reality. Mind In India, a Mumbai-based group is doing an arduous job in cherishing this interplay via poetry slams, stand-up comedy and videos. It is not an appeal to make your art about mental illness but to include it just as arbitrarily as other themes.
Lastly, with the right heart make sure you have the right knowledge. Campaigns like Dobara Poocho are doing the much-needed crusading but their misguided portrayal of depression; best described by Sonali Gupta, a clinical psychologist, can belittle the goal they are trying to achieve. Similarly, political correctness can eradicate ableism that secondarily aggravates stigma.
Depression is much more than sadness and suicide is much more than just "killing yourself". They are ambiences that on one hand need to be treated delicately and on the other require openness and informality.