Breaking the Stigma of Depression

“Do you mean to say I am mad? What if someone gets to know that I am seeing a psychiatrist?” argued my friend not willing to accept the fact that she was suffering from depression.  

Mental illnesses are often looked upon as personality flaws. The social stigma associated with mental disorders keep many people from coming forward to seek medical help. Depression is a clinical condition, which if left untreated can lead to some serious consequences including attempts of suicide.

According to one study from India, more than 80 percent of people who attempted to end their life through suicide had some kind of mental disorder and only 31 percent of those had taken treatment. Another study reported that nearly 93 percent of the suicide attempters were suffering from mental illnesses. In one interesting study conducted among students aged between 15 to 19 years, the researchers used self administered questionnaire to evaluate the depression status and suicidal ideation. The results revealed that prevalence of suicidal ideation was significantly more among depressed compared to non-depressed students. Overall, the evidence clearly suggests that depression increases the risk of death from suicide.

Many times people suffering from depression are assumed to be “weird” or “difficult”. Sometimes even the family members tend to ignore a loved one, considering depression as a temporary phase of sadness that can improve on its own. While people with other chronic illness receive tremendous sympathy from family and society, those with mental illnesses are looked upon with a doubt. What could be the possible reason for this? We all go through ups and downs in our mood. Feeling ‘sad ‘or having a ‘low’ mood as a reaction to stressful situations in life is natural and absolutely normal. But, depression is much more than just sadness. It is a clinical illness which requires long term treatment. We need to understand that depression is a medical condition just like diabetes or cancer, and those suffering from depression need medical help.

People suffering from depression lose interest in things they enjoyed before, appear sad all the time and get a feeling of hopelessness due to their condition. People with severe depression may also get feelings of hurting themselves. Scientists believe that stressful situations such as loss of job, difficult relationship, losing a loved one, family conflicts etc. can trigger depression. In addition, changes in some brain chemicals or structure may also be the possible cause of depression in some people.

The psychotherapy and use of some medications have been proven to be effective in treating depressive symptoms.  Although depression is a serious mental illness, it is possible to overcome it. We just need to accept mental disorders as chronic illnesses with a broad mind and help those suffering to seek medical help.  The World Health Organization and the World Association for Social Psychiatry consider stigma as a major public health challenge and have taken steps towards management of social stigma attached to mental disorders like depression. A part of coping with stigma is fighting it. So, what should we do to break the stigma of depression?

• Protest against stigma: Media should stop reporting inaccurate representations of mental illness and we the public should stop believing the negative views
• Education: Educate yourself and understand the symptoms, causes and treatment options for depression
• Support: Reach out to people with depression and support them

Depression is not a sign of weakness, it’s an illness. Let’s accept it and fight the stigma associated with depression.