Essay on Depression
People do experience hardships, struggles, and loss, may it be from being in a situation like being divorced, unemployed, loss of a loved one or failed relationships. Most people would normally experience sadness due to the things happening around us. But, as this sadness turns into a feeling of being helpless, hopeless, and worthless, that lasts for many days turning into weeks, and keeps you from living your life, it may be something more than sadness.
In the second millennium B.C in Mesopotamia, the earliest written accounts about depression appeared. Depression was discussed as being a spiritual rather than physical condition, stated in these writings. With it, as well as other mental illnesses, it is thought of as being caused by demonic possession. While the modern concept of depression, it is viewed by most psychiatrists, characterized by marked functional impairment, morbid preoccupation with worthlessness, suicidal ideation, psychotic symptoms, or psychomotor retardation. People sometimes believe that the difference between sadness and depression is one of degree. But the reality is much more complex the differences between sadness and depression are not taken as so much a matter of ‘seriousness’ of feeling, as they are thought just to be a combination of issues relating to duration, symptoms, and bodily impact. “Depression affects an estimated one in 15 adults (6.7%) in any given year. And one in six people (16.6%) will experience depression at some time in their life. Depression can strike at any time, but on average, first appears during the late teens to mid-20s. Women are more likely than men to experience depression. Some studies show that one-third of women will experience a major depressive episode in their lifetime” stated in www.psychiatry.org.
Depression is a different beast entirely it is a longer-term mental illness that does not follow any “normal” emotional rules, while on the other hand, sadness is a part of the normal spectrum of human emotion which is temporary and fades with time, and it is important to feel free to experience it at appropriate times. According to Emmanuel Ebone, in how he illustrated depression as a silent killer, he said that “Eventually, the victims may be lost in the process of exorcising the ‘demons’ oppressing them. When the victims should be positively assisted, worst punishments are often inflicted on them when such should be supported, they are estranged from their loved ones when they should be given hope, they are labeled as mentally deranged by those around them. As their situation deteriorates, they are abandoned to die silently or allowed to snap.” Many people mistakenly believe that being depressed is a choice, or that they need to have a positive attitude. Friends and loved ones often get frustrated or don’t understand why a person can’t ‘snap out of it.’ They may even say that the person has nothing to be depressed about. Depression is a real mental illness. Those who have depression cannot simply decide to stop feeling depressed. Unlike typical sadness or worry, depression feels all-consuming and hopeless. (www.medicalnewstoday.com, 2018)
Depression is like trying to scream but never making a sound. It is like being in a maze that only contains dead ends. It’s feeling too lost to be found. Depression is a psychological condition that changes how you think, feel, and it also affects your social behavior and sense of physical wellness. It makes a person feel to have low self-esteem and can cause self-depreciation. Depression impairs social, occupational, and other important areas of functioning. If it is left untreated, symptoms of depression may last for a long time. It is very real, and not something random people came up with as an excuse for how they’re feeling. As the National Institute of Mental Health points out, there’s a difference between experiencing sadness for a short period and one’s daily life becoming affected by the symptoms of this illness for several months or years. Stigmatizing the illness or downplaying its effects won’t help anyone heal.
