Health is wealth. We are all familiar with this time-tested saying. Yes, good health is an invaluable asset in life. But what is good health? Often, we understand the meaning of good health purely from the physical aspects of our body, that is, a body free from physical ailments. This is only partly true because, knowingly or unknowingly, we tend to ignore the mental aspect of our health. Mental health is as important as our physical health because mental illness will equally interfere with our everyday lives. So, good health implies the enjoyment of both a sound physical state and a stable mental state.
But do we really care for the mental state of our intimate people? The people around us hardly consider mental illness a disease. They tend to overlook this particular fact even when their loved ones pass through serious psychological problems. For example, our children sometimes do not want to go to school because something seriously disturbing is bothering them in school, which remains undetected because of the casual approach of their parents to their child’s problems. Similarly, some college and university going students slip into depressive illness because they always keep their problems to themselves nor do they get any reassuring responses from their near and dear ones even after disclosing their problems.
Sometimes, we find that a housewife is doing her household work but with a depressed mind, which might be totally ignored by the husband and his parents, or it could be the other way around when the husband is facing a similar situation at home, ignored by the wife and her parents. It can happen to any other family member.
In a workplace, a superior boss might ignore the fact that his habitual rude dealing with lower-level staff is the main cause of their upsetting minds, resulting in absences, inattention, an indifferent approach to work, or even moving to other organisations, etc.
So the sufferers need sincere support from their close people. But, in our ongoing materialistic and selfish world, it escapes the attention of the very people we admire most.
Now, what is mental illness? “Mental illness, also called mental health disorders, refers to a wide range of mental health conditions—disorders that affect your mood, thinking, and behaviour. Examples of mental illness include depression, anxiety disorders, schizophrenia, eating disorders, and addictive behaviours.”
It is strongly felt that these days, an increasing number of people in society, regardless of their age group, are suffering from mental illness (e.g., mild or deep depression). This is perhaps not unusual when our daily lives are invaded by good and bad events, pleasant and unpleasant happenings, and satisfying and dissatisfying moments. Initially, we are confronted with sadness triggered by unwanted events involving our internal and external relationships. But when sadness becomes pervasive and persistent and takes a deep root, we tend to crumble from within. It saps our mental strength and turns our sadness into major depressive disorders (MDD). So, depression basically signifies a serious mood disorder. A lot has already been written on the symptoms, causes, consequences, and possible therapies to deal with depressive illness.
Psychiatrists in general identify the common symptoms of depressive illness as “depressed mood, reduced interest or pleasure in activity previously enjoyed, weight loss, difficulty in sleeping or excessive sleeping, restlessness, pacing up and down, slow movement and speech, fatigue or loss of energy, feelings of worthlessness or guilt, impaired ability to think, concentrate, or make decisions, so on.”
The causes of depression are not fully known, but it is claimed that they are caused by a combination of several factors ranging from “genetic, biological, psychological, and environmental factors”. The risk of developing depression increases if the depression already runs in the family. So it becomes a hereditary phenomenon. Some people are susceptible to depressive illness because of their exclusive personalities. It is said that people with low self-esteem, who are too sensitive to criticism and who have perfectionist tendencies, are relatively more at risk of suffering from depression. Recent events (e.g., losing the present job, the death of a loved one, etc.) can also trigger deep sadness, leading to depressive illness.
But psychiatrists have the view that long-term stressors or continuing difficulties with no possible solutions are likely to throw people quickly into a major depressive cycle. Some of the important causes identified by the psychiatrists are, for example, long-term unemployment, a long-term illness, long-term isolation or loneliness, prolonged work stress, prolonged poverty, and, last but not least, living in an abusive and uncaring relationship. Psychiatrists also point out that depression may be the result of changes in the brain chemistry, that is, abnormal levels of changes in the neurotransmitters or brain chemicals (serotonin, noradrenaline, dopamine, etc.).
Psychiatrists suggest a range of effective therapies to deal with major depressive disorders, such as medications (antidepressant medicines), psychotherapy (talk therapy ), electroconvulsive therapy, lifestyle-changing measures, etc.
According to psychiatrists, medication is a very important part of tackling depression. Antidepressant medicines given by the psychiatrist can have a salubrious effect on depressive illness because they can improve brain chemistry by bringing brain chemicals (e.g., serotonin, etc.) to an optimum level. So, medications at the right time can lead to a radical improvement in major depressive disorder.
Psychotherapy, or talk therapy, means initiating healthy dialogues and counselling sessions with the patient and other helping him to turn his negative thoughts into positive ones. Psychiatrists with a lot of experience can easily debrief and decode the inner problems of the patient. They could help them to have a positive mind and thinking pattern and to understand the reasons for building a healthy life.
Lifestyle-changing measures include a few important things:
a) To avoid taking alcohol because “intake of alcohol affects the central nervous system, slowing down the messages between the brain and body.” Drinking heavily can lead to symptoms of depression.
b) Doing plenty of exercises: Despite the fact that depression can make a person feel tired, remaining physically active by doing even light exercises can elevate the mood and make the patient feel better .
c) Sleeping well: it is suggested by the psychiatrists that a good amount of sound sleep (seven to eight hours a day) is an absolute necessity and can bring refreshing relief to a patient suffering from depression. Making changes in food contents, such as adding milk and more fruits, particularly bananas, can lead to a good amount of sleep.
So far, so good. But I would like to focus on a few specific cases that can trigger depressive illness and would suggest a few unconventional steps to tackle it.
Research suggests that depression is relatively more common in women than men. There can be several reasons for this development. But in our subcontinental region, depression is more prevalent in women because of uncaring and abusive relationships with their husbands and other members of their in-laws house. In a male-dominated society, this is a recurrent occurrence. And in today’s world, this happens both in rural and urban communities.Constant insolent behaviour with the housewives and even occasional physical torture throw them into prolonged sadness. Failing to share their personal trauma with their parents or other close relatives and friends, they eventually slip into deep depression
For these ill-fated women, the only viable way to improve their condition is to be tough with their unhealthy husband and his family members. The urgent need is to disclose the matter to the most reliable people, including family members and reliable friends. If needed, relationships with the husband should be cut off immediately (seeking divorce) because no social counselling will work against the offending husband. Whatever he will say to defend himself will simply be eyewashes and a clever attempt to mask his ugly face. If possible, legal action can also be taken against the husband and his family members. And the suffering women should be prepared to begin a fresh life because life itself is more important than the tormenting relationship.
Depressive illness in children can be averted by creating a very healthy and supportive family environment. Parents should give more time to their children and initiate and invite free discussion with them every day on different matters. This will inject more confidence in the children to face the complexities of modern life, besides having a vibrant mood.
In our modern lives, we are chasing worldly happiness aggressively. In pursuit of worldly happiness, we indulge in uncontrolled material gains. Our level of demand increases greatly. When there is a big gap between what we want and what we actually get, we suffer, and it becomes a cause of emotional pain. This emotional pain becomes very intense when we tend to compare our lives with a limited number of rich people rather than with millions of poor and deprived people. So for our peace of mind, we should be satisfied with whatever we have now and work hard to improve the condition.
Depression is a disease of the mind. One of the main causes of our depression is the destructive influence of our selfish and harmful relatives. Such relatives are habitual fault-finders and trouble-makers. They should be avoided directly for peace of mind. To ward off depression these days, one must keep oneself safe from these problematic relatives.
A large number of people in third world countries face serious poverty and lead a miserable life. Their economic conditions worsen because of the rising prices of goods and services.They are forced to seek financial help from different sources, particularly from their relatives. This chronic, painful life not only brings them degradation in society but also huge unrest among the family members. Eventually, members of these families fall into mental anguish, which can consequently push them into depressive cycles. So one should chase money by working hard and by acquiring different types of skills so that at least one of the primary elements of mental peace and stability is ensured. After all, the most useful friend in life, among others, is money itself.
Feelings of sadness and depression can be avoided if we always remember that nothing in our worldly lives is permanent. We are all “foreigners” here in this world. One day, with our deaths, everything will be a big cypher. Therefore, without worrying about worldly life, one should work tirelessly. What is written in destiny will happen, and we must gather courage to face it.
The people who feel sad and down for any reason can get mental peace by offering prayer on time. Physical exercises resulting from saying prayer will help sustain a good mood. People from the Muslim community, particularly, get the grand opportunity to offer their prayers five times a day, which, in a way, might turn out to be a vital tonic to overcome depressive illness.
Finally, to deal with depression it is important to consult with a psychiatrist immediately and follow his prescriptions sincerely. Psychiatrists agree that depression is absolutely a treatable disease. There are a lot of people in our society who may have already been in a state of deep depression, but as they are undergoing systematic medication and other prescribed therapies, they gradually come out of the depressive illness and lead a healthy life.
Conclusion:
At the end of the day, a depressed patient has to be his own doctor and keep the disease away through various creative measures and lifestyle changes such as sharing the problem with a most reliable person among his loved and known circle, remaining connected with caring friends and relatives, remaining busy with some productive work both at home and outside of the home , watching lovely TV serials with the family members, planning to go to gym or open field for some physical exercises , try to go to bed early and have a sound sleep of eight hours minimum, try sincerely to scale down mundane cravings and above all, try to offer prayer on time and seek the blessing of our merciful creator,etc. He should feel sincerely that the greatest asset of life is life itself. So, no loss in life should be considered as a permanent loss and in no way it should overpower him etc. So, he must not allow this disease to take root. It needs a preemptive strike. That is, he must have the determination to drive away the onset of depressive Illness at the very formative stage and thereby win the battle.
Written by: M. ASHIQ
Ex-Teacher, SCHOLASTICA, AND SUNBEAMS
BANGLADESH
Email: [email protected]
