Depression and when to seek help
Depression is a bitch. Let’s face it. No one wants to get depressed. But the rate of depression is increasing each year due to multiple factors.
Look, I’m not a doctor. I am just regurgitating what I’ve read before. I am trying to increase the awareness in the best way possible for me. But I can be wrong too. So take my words with a grain of salt and seek out expert professional help.
I have faced depression for 1–2 years myself. During those days I did not talk about it to anyone which is what depression makes you do. In fact, I realized later that I went through depression when I read about it in books. I wish I had someone to guide me when I was going through the tough times. This is my attempt to be that someone for others.
I came across discussions of depression from multiple books. Anyone can get depressed. There are revealing signs that one is depressed. But the signs and symptoms are so broad and vague that they can be confused with just being sad too.
Some respectable, believable people like some psychologists say that we should seek out professional help if we feel depressed and depression is not something to take lightly.
I used to advocate this to everyone for quite some time: If you are feeling down and depressed then you should go out to a doctor immediately.
But I read that this kind of outlook has created an epidemic of people who visit doctors complaining that they are depressed when they are just sad. People are unable to face short-term sad phases too.
Some other respectable, believable people like Nassim Nicholas Taleb and other stoics say that we should deal with the phases of sadness, which are usually short-term, on our own. Nature has already made us robust enough. We can face a lot more hardships than we realize. We are a lot stronger than we give ourselves credit for.
Now, to be extremely clear, going to a doctor for help is a good thing. A good doctor will realize that you are just sad and help you accordingly. Because one huge effect of depression is that it makes you less likely to talk to anyone and thus seek out help. You have to be extremely conscious about your own state of mind. In case of doubt, go seek a good doctor.
Keep this in mind. If you start feeling sad and gloomy due to some reason, try to deal with it by changing your thoughts, your attitude and actions. Get help from your friends and family. But don’t start wondering immediately if you are depressed. But if the gloomy times last longer than a couple weeks, or if they recur repeatedly every few weeks, then definitely go seek a good doctor. Don’t try to fight through it on your own. You will be making a bad situation worse for yourself. There is help out there. Go seek it.
Furthermore, if you suspect someone you know is battling depression, please talk with them. No one talks about this disease. There is so little awareness.
Also, I’ll repeat again: when in doubt go seek a good doctor.
