DEPRESSION AND IT’S DANGERS

DEPRESSION AND IT’S DANGERS

AUTHOR - AJIBADE PELUMI J.R

As humans, we’ve been programmed by our maker (GOD) to feel and express different kind of emotions. PAIN, LOVE, HATE, ANGER, REGRET, FEAR, DISGUST, SHAME, EMBARRASSMENT, EXCITEMENT, PRIDE, HAPPINESS, SADNESS e.t.c are just some of the emotions we has humans show mostly every passing day. According to Wikipedia - Emotion is a mental state variously associated with thoughts, feelings, behavioural responses and a degree of pleasure or displeasure.

Our emotions are often intertwined with MOOD, TEMPERAMENT, PERSONALITY, DISPOSITION and MOTIVATION.

Sooner or later in life everyone has that moment when we all feel down, feeling sadness or loneliness when we go through difficult life experiences. This feelings interfere with your work, sleep, and more importantly your function as a human.

Depression can come in different forms, most of us tend to believe it to be just a normal state of having the blues. Depression is more than just a one time feeling of the blues, its a feeling that gradually eats its victim up, like a pest feeding slowly on its host, slowly draining the life from its host, everything seems fine but deep down there is that emptiness, that void, that black hole.

Some symptoms of Depression includes

Sadness

Feeling Empty

Loss Of Interest In Activities You Once Enjoyed

Inability To Sleep

Fatigue

Feeling Worthless, Hopeless

Difficulty Thinking

Recurrent Thoughts Of Death or Suicide

Suicide Attempts

Detecting all this symptoms in someone is not something that could just be seen easily. Not everyone you see smiling at you is actually smiling inside, most are just dying to be heard, putting up a happy face for the world to see but yet they scream loudly in their own silence. Depression affects an estimated one in 15 adults (6.7%) in any given year. And one in 6 people(16.6%) will experience depression at some time in their life. Women are more likely to experience depression than men. Some studies show that one-third of women will experience a major depressive eisode in their lifetime.

Depression can strike anytime, on average, it mostly appears during the late teens to mid-20s. Depression can and will affect anyone, even someone who appears to live in relatively ideal circumstances. Most see depression as something mild, and not deadly, but that notion is quite wrong. Depression will kill its victim, not right away, but slowly eating the victim up from within. It sometimes leads to its victim having and living a double personality. Most adults tend to get over their depressed states, but can the same be said for teens?

TEENAGE & YOUTH DEPRESSION

  As Youths & Teenagers we face lots of pressures right from the changes into puberty to asking who we are, where we fit in, whats our purpose. With all this uncertainty it is not always easy to detect or differentiate a normal teenage growing pains and depression. But yet, depression goes beyond ones mood. It’s a serious health problem that affects every aspect of a youth and teenagers life.

The youth and teenage years can be really though, and depression affects teenagers and youths far more than any of us realize. However, while depression is highly and very much treatable, the sad part of it all is that most depressed youths and teens never receive help.

Most of us mistake occasional bad moods and acting out to be depression but fact is, it is more than that, depression is something different, teenage depression goes far beyond a melancholy mood. Depression can and will destroy the essence of a teens personality, causing an overwhelming sense of sadness, anger or despair.

The true fact here is, not everyone we see that is mean or rude are actually mean or rude. Most just put up this rebellious and unhealthy behaviour to hide their pains, it seems to be the only way they can express themselves without letting anyone see the pain in them. For some, they hide their depressed state by using drugs and alcohol as a means to “self-medicate” their depression (this only making it all worst).

And for some others, its Smartphone addiction, they go online just to escape their problems but excessive use of this only makes them more depressed and increases isolation. For adults, they isolate themselves when depressed, while  teenagers and youths tend to withdraw from some people and their parents, socialize less than before or start hanging out with a different crowd.

SUICIDE WARNING SIGNS IN DEPRESSED YOUTHS AND TEENS

Once depression has taken its toll on its victim, suicidal thoughts begins to surface. This is the stage where no sigh should be ignored.

MYTH: PEOPLE  WHO TALK ABOUT SUICIDE WON’T REALLY DO IT.

FACT: ALMOST EVERYONE WHO ATTEMPTS OR COMMITS SUICIDE HAS GIVEN CLUES.

Most suicidal people are not crazy, they are upset, grief-stricken, depressed.

Seriously depressed youths and teens, especially those who abuse drugs and alcohol often think about, speak of, and even make attempts at suicide, and an alarming and increasing number are successful in their attempts. It is vital that we take any suicidal thoughts or behaviour very seriously as these are cries for help from depressed teens and youths.

SUICIDE WARNING SIGNS TO WATCH OUT FOR 

1. Talking or joking about suicide

2. Saying things like, “There is no way out”. “I wish I could disappear forever”, “ I’d be better off dead” “You’re gonna miss me when am gone”

3. Speaking positively about death (“If I died, people might miss me more”)

4. Writing stories, poems about death, dying

5. Reckless behaviour

6. Giving away prized possessions

7. Saying goodbye like its the last time to friends and families

HELPING A DEPRESSED YOUTH OR TEEN

Depression is very damaging when left untreated, waiting for the symptoms to just go away on its own is no right way to help or handle the situation.

To help, bring up your concern in a loving non- judgemental manner. Open up a dialogue, let them know what you’ve noticed. Ask him/her to share whats going on, what they are going through and be ready to listen truthfully. Most don’t like to feel patronized or crowded, but while helping, make it clear that you are ready to listen and willing to provide the support needed.

A suicidal person may not really ask for help, but that doesn’t change the fact that help is indeed needed. They don’t want to die, they just wanna stop hurting, they wanna feel loved, feel important, feel needed, wanted.

Depression brings about suicide.

Suicide brings about pain, regret to the affected family.

Everyone deserves to be heard, to voice out their emotions, to feel loved and important. Suicide is never the answer, never was and never will be.

Feel like you are not being heard?

Fell like no one seems to care?

Need someone to talk to?

Add up these two accounts on Facebook or call : Blessing Akinrinola(09085090962), Joe Raymond(08188018865)

                                                   Ajibade Pelumi J.R