Nuggets On Depression People Tend To Ignore

Did you know the brain is the most powerful existing supercomputer ever built? So rugged and elegant yet so vulnerable. The brain can help you create multiple personalities in order to defend itself so as to maintain an equilibrium, a stable form of homeostasis. As the saying goes, “Be nice to people, you never know the battles they are fighting.” A report from Bulawayo24 has shown that 75% of Zimbabwean people have once suffered from “mental issues”. As much we might use “tough love” approach to depression and suicide cases are skyrocketing. We are a nation that always jokes around even with the serious and important matters. But can you blame us? It has become our mental defensive mechanism. Suppressed feelings, emotions, dysfunctional families and brain chemistry even failure of companies to pay out pensioners (the negative aspects of the mental psyche of an individual) have a huge impact on our daily lives.

Depression is characterized by sadness, loss of interest or pleasure, feelings of guilt or low self-esteem, disturbed sleep or recurrent, feelings of tiredness and poor concentration. It impairs an individual’s ability to function as it can be long-lasting or recurrent. Depression is not a choice, it is high time it dawns on people the intensity of depression and its effects. Ridiculing in the name of “seeking attention” should stop, let’s take on the responsibility to help our fellow brothers and sisters. Depression comes in different forms:

• Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) which is directly caused by the time of the year, often times in winter.

• Psychotic depression develops if you have hallucination or delusions that are not cohesive with reality and caused by traumatic events or if you have already had a form of depression.

• Postpartum depression occurs to new mothers going through changes of childbirth, raising a new child or to your body which affects the mood.

• Melancholic depression exudes depressed mood similar to losing someone you love or intense grief with leads to loss of weight and withdraw from once loved activities.

• Atypical depression is directed to your mood and interaction causing hypersomnia, heaviness in the limp and social anxiety.

• Catatonic depression is experienced with motor problems and behavioral issues which severely interfere with essential activities of daily living.

Before you judge, just imagine what the next person is going through. It is not intentional, take time to listen. Depression can be physiological and anatomical-based, caused by economic hardships, concurring illness or medical conditions. So reach out to family, friends, workmates and schoolmates to #Save a life. It takes all of us to reduce and curb the alarming rates of suicides. #Let’s fight depression by reaching out, seek psychotherapy and take antidepressants. Quit the “it’s not African” to talk to someone and take medication. It is not a mental illness but a vile state of mind that has taken many lives unnoticed. For all people living with depression, it is not too late. Take each day as it comes and gets help. The first step starts with you!!!