We have often heard the term depression on social media websites and other media contents and yes, we somewhat have the idea regarding it too, but let’s clear a thing which often bewilders a common person. Is depression a disease, mental illness or a disorder of some sort? 

Depression is a Mental Disorder, Not a disease, while psychiatric medications and their resulting television commercials in the 1990’s and this decade have done much to help people seek treatment for a mental disorder like depression, they haven’t done much to help people understand the complexities of things like ‘depression’ and ‘bipolar disorder.’ An individual with major depression, or major depressive disorder, feels a profound and constant sense of hopelessness and despair. Often, going through depression isolates you from the society too. State of ‘depression’ is usually not perceived by the people and as a result, the person going through it suffers. 

Major depression is marked by a mixture of symptoms that hinder with the person’s ability to carry out usual tasks of our daily routine like work, study, sleep, eat and enjoy other stuff. The most customary symptoms are irritation from smallest of the things and loss of interest in activities that we once used to enjoy. One is unable to concentrate and withdraw from social activities. 

Depression can happen to anyone. Numerous famous and wealthy people who seem to have everything go through it. Depression also affects people of every age. A person going through depression will experience intense emotions of anxiety, hopelessness, negativity and helplessness. 

Many people often deal with the thoughts of suicide too. Particularly, the kind of society we live in needs to understand this. Often it is thought by the parents that their child is going through any mental disease. Instead, they need to take them in confidence so that their kids can share their mind and what they are going through. 

Furthermore, talking therapy sessions such as cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) and some forms of counselling and psychotherapy work well for depression, although you may have to wait to see a therapist on the NHS. 

SYED SHAYAN AHMED,  

Karachi, March 8.