Last
night I was casually browsing the net when I stumbled upon the NDTV interview
of Deepika Padokone. I had heard about her cause against battling with
depression however had not paid much heed considering that I generally do not
bother to keep a tab of the personal lives of celebrities and that more than
often such activities are linked to some form of publicity yeahh!
I longed
to glance through a couple of minutes of the video but ended up watching the
entire 50 minutes video.
And I was
taken aback.
The video
moved me. Inspite of being from the educated and inculcated strata of the society,
I had very limited understanding of the chronic ailment called Depression, it’s
causes and effects, the associated hazards and symptoms. And I decided to pen down what I had learnt.
Would you
believe?
India is said
to be the most depressed country in the world. According to WHO, 36% of Indians
are depressed which means every one person among four suffers from
depression. And guess what? Indian women are found to be more depressed than
any other women in the world. Not only that, we also happen to be the ones who
do not realize or admit that we are suffering from depression. Growing
ambitions, impulsive lifestyle, staying away from family for years, hectic schedules, stringent
personal goal settings and abnormally long hours of work could be some of the
reasons. We are facing dire consequences of the
growing Indian Market in the face of globalization.
You might
be in constant battle with yourself everyday, trying to convince yourself that
you are ok when you are not. You may not even know that you are suffering from
depression. You are carrying a burden unknowingly and you are not able to reach your maximum potential. You lose interest in activities that you had once interest in.
Often we
term Depression as a luxurious disease, calling it a privilege of the rich and
not the condition of the poor. We tell ourselves that this is nothing but a
phase. We become reluctant to share our condition even with the closest of
relations for the fear of rejection or lack of understanding. We are too proud
of ourselves to seek professional help and consider it nothing but a waste of
time and money. Aversion towards medication is also common.
Major
depressive disorder (MDD), also known as Clinical Depression or Unipolar Depression
is a disfunctioning of the brain causing extreme low moods, inability to
experience the joys of life, insomnia or excessive sleep, lack of appetite or
excessive hunger pangs, low self esteem, lack of concentration, helplessness,
hopelessness, inability to manage relationships and the need to remain
isolated, the necessity to break down frequently and suicidal in extreme cases.
At some
point of the time in our lives, probably all of us have suffered from a
disbalanced mental condition. Sometimes we have been able to decipher the
reason and have been able to take charge of ourselves, sometimes maybe we have
not, however have let it pass as just another phase of life. Sometimes we
can trace back to the cause and take measures to rectify it, however, sometimes
we might not be able to.
American
poet Sylvia Plath lived her life and died of depression. Her constant struggle
to cope up with life is explicitly captured in many of her confessional
poetry.
“I didn’t want my
picture taken because I was going to cry”, she says, “I didn’t know why I was
going to cry, but I knew that if anybody spoke to me or looked at me too
closely the tears would fly out of my eyes and the sobs would fly out of my
throat and I’d cry for a week. I could feel the tears brimming and sloshing in
me like water in a glass that is unsteady and too full.”
Plath was perceived to have been living a loving life
juggling fame and a beautiful family completed with children. Then what
triggered her to end her life?
Similarly, Robin Williams, the person who earned immense
popularity by tickling the funny bone of his audience all around the globe,
ended his life in sheer exasperation. Closer home, Parveen Babi happened to
suffer from acute depression before she committed suicide.
Therefore, Depression cannot be
directly mapped with the social status of a person. It has nothing to do with
financial security, wealth, fame or power. Also it cannot be confused with
sadness. Sadness is situational, explainable and a part of
human experience. Depression, on the other hand, is an involuntary disorder of
the brain and eventually the hormones, triggering grave reactions in the mind
and the body.
Why are we not able to shake off the
fear?
That
is because we think we are in control of our brains. But the fact is that we
are not. Therefore, we have no control over depression.
We cannot prevent this deadly disease from affecting
anyone. But we can certainly take preventive measures. The first and foremost
requirement is to break free from the stigma. We must learn to confront our
demons. We must educate ourselves and admit the fact that we are suffering from
depression if we are. We must also be aware. We can seek help, build a strong
support system in close friends and family and openly talk about how we feel.
We must not hesitate to consult a psychiatrist and take medication if
necessary.
A sincere plead, don’t let yourself or someone you
care suffer from this hazardous mental condition, especially the women you love
and care for. Be aware and keep an eye for symptoms. Aim towards maintaining a
wholesome balanced life. Indulge is open conversations with closed ones, listen
to them, pay attention. And never ever miss a chance to infuse moments of
happiness and togetherness in the lives of your loved ones. Show them that you care.
At times, meetings and deadlines can wait. Life won't!
Keep brimming and blooming with life!
P.S. - If you'd like to watch Deepika's interview, here's the link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TwIOrxWT7Z8
& here are some more insights on Depression on Webmd
http://www.webmd.com/depression/guide/what-is-depression
