Positive Health Online

Reprinted from The Hitavada Raipur Sunday August 5 2018

Some people always feel sad and try to remain aloof. Most of their time, they get influenced by negative thoughts. In the midst of any positive environment, they find nooks and see the dark side first. Their characteristic traits may look surprising to others, but for them, it is quite evident, and so, they don’t take any effort whatsoever to change their attitude. On close analysis, one may find that behind their behaviours, there will be no apparent reason. In other words, for someone who is depressed knowingly, it’s hard to make change. Many people look upon the depression in the form of karmic suffering, a black hole with no escape. But it is not so easy for finding the cause of depression. There may be many reasons. Some of them may not be serious at all. If you are continuously in this mode, you will suffer; growth in the life will take a downward curve. So, linking karma and depression may not be an ideal solution for this problem. We know that a person who suffers from depression does not know the reason of his sadness at all. He opines and takes the same as a routine matter.

As per the WHO, the global figures for depression stand at around five to six percent. This number has been growing at the rate of 18% in between 2005-15. Depression is a system defect, and it can attack anyone irrespective of his family status income, name, and fame. It can inflict poor or wealthy, young or old, successful or unsuccessful and take in its clutch. The most famous Hollywood comedian Robin Williams despite his celebrity status succumbed to depression, could not come out of it and sadly committed suicide on August 11, 2014.  Professional counselling is helpful to get rid of this defect, but it is the mental courage and real conviction only which can make one alright. Our societies are full of hale and hearty people who fall into this trap. In younger time, some people are healthy and managing a great lifestyle; yet they cannot alter the burden of old age. When they develop some chronic leg or back pain, they become morose. Despite treatment and family support, when they don’t get cured, they become depressed and prefer to be alone all the time. A pertinent question arises: can the depressed person may be alright getting sympathy and compassion from friends, family members or even neighbours? To some extent,  yes.

The renowned spiritual leader Dalai Lama says that we must first recognize the gravity of a person’s grief and assess the reasons, show sympathy and put ourselves in his or her shoes. When the person understands that you empathize with his disorder, he or she will be closer to you and hear your advice. Sometimes, close family members might be aggravating the gravity of the depression. This way, they show their carefulness and attitudinal changes towards them; the victim feels more depressed. They lose their dignities because of extraordinary sympathy they receive from their family members. The typical statement like, “Come one, get up, just mix and cheer up,” will be more detrimental. By way of uttering these thoughtful words, they arouse the negative emotions of the depressed persons. They feel that they are the burdens to their family members. The victims get reintroduced to those forgotten words and sequence of lives they used to enjoy in the past. It is another way to make them more depressed. The persons in concerned then starts thinking of those days when he used to pass the time with his friends and family members for fun and enjoyment and banter with neighbours for a considerable period; all these memories and recollection of the same make the person more depressed. And the situations take a bad shape. So, family members must refrain themselves from using such sorts of provocations. Instead they must ensure to increase the mental strength of the depressed persons. They must show more human feeling and use body language and gesture of kind words. Any edification will produce negative output.

The World Health Organization is celebrating this year as the Year of Depression. Henk Bekedam, the WHO representative in India, accuses that modern style of living and less human touch are the causes of depression. Modernization brings its challenge, as he says, but it has pitfalls also. He cites the examples of his school days in the Netherlands. Every day after schooling, he used to play football. But today’s children are indeed busy on their smart phones and laptops. They prefer to gossip with their friends on smart phones or keep them texting. They pass a considerable time in surfing various websites on their laptops. There is nothing wrong to know the nitty-gritty of information technology and computer science, but in this process, the youth forget the association of other youth which is a very vital and an elementary principle of human interaction. It is essential for physical well-being that boys and girls remain busy for outdoor activities, including playing football, cricket, baseball, or any other sports. It also increases mental stimulation. The outdoor game releases endorphins which are the gifts of our body systems to cope with stress and depression. Today’s education system provides more value to the aggregate marks to obtain a chance for getting admission in a good college or university. So, the youth almost forget the outdoor activities and get themselves busy to confine in home indoor activities and studies. Ultimately, in their adolescence and old age, they become vulnerable to stress and depression. The children today do not go for playful activities; rather they prefer to take tuition courses. Older people ferociously pursue the office work and professional activities. They seldom fix up any schedule for outdoor games. The lifestyle becomes sedentary; the same invites many diseases. Play and social interaction teach life skills which induce a sense of sharing and augmenting team spirit. It also shows people how to take both winning and losing in the stride. People in the public eye should be encouraged to come forward and share their experience about how they fight against the depression. The practical expression and experiences enunciated by various celebrities will increase the awareness amongst the people who suffer from depression. It is advisable to talk to the therapists and take their professional expertise in the event that you fail to come out from the depression on your own.

Some people term the depression as an emotionally unbalanced affair. It could be unexplained anger range, irritation or sadness which are like demonic spirits and take control of rational thinking skills. When you are in the depression, the spiritual masters suggest chanting mantras, doing meditation and providing services to others enabling them to overcome obsession. In this way, the depressed persons perhaps are more compassionate. The prolific religious teacher and Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh says, “The most precious gift we can offer anyone is our attention.” The fundamental thing is that the depressed person must acknowledge his problem and be ready to receive help. It is the best way to deal with depression and overcome the same.

Acknowledgement Citation

Reprinted from The Hitavada Raipur Sunday August 5 2018