Recently I saw a video of a depression patient ending their life, which touched me deeply. However, when I read the comments below the video from internet warriors, I couldn’t help but feel some sighs. Comments below often say, “Can’t handle such trivial things, is their mind too fragile?” “Ending one’s life over something small, why not just be more open-minded?”
The more ignorant people are, the more confident they are because knowing so little, they always believe they are speaking the truth. However, facing depression, it’s not as simple as just saying “be more open-minded.” The reason it’s called “depression” is because it’s a real illness. Even the most optimistic person can’t simply think positively when suffering from depression; it’s unbearable.
Depressed patients not only need to have a “more open-minded” attitude, but they also need proper treatment targeted at the root cause. Those who type away on their keyboards and phones behind screens don’t understand how painful it really is to have depression.
Many people confuse depression with feeling down. Feeling down may result from external factors, and the mood can quickly improve once the issue is resolved. In contrast, depression often involves persistent low moods. Even without any particular issues, a person with depression may feel everything is going wrong during an episode, experiencing low mood, decreased appetite, lack of concentration, excessive sleepiness, extreme self-loathing, guilt, and even recurring thoughts of suicide.
These two are completely different issues, and many simplify depression far too much. Nearly three billion people worldwide suffer from the torment of depression, a psychological disorder that, once triggered, can last at least two weeks or even up to half a year. During these episodes, individuals continuously experience mental and physical discomfort and are always on the brink of an emotional breakdown.
Depression requires effective treatment – the idea of just relaxing and being more open-minded doesn’t hold up against depression. After developing depression, the patient’s brain waves and the hippocampus show abnormalities – changes that can be observed in the brain. Various hormones in the body, such as thyroid hormone, dopamine, estrogen, are also affected. These conditions are not typically seen in individuals experiencing mild emotional discomfort or feeling down.
In daily life, many people may often feel they may have depression, but in fact, it is usually temporary due to encountering unpleasant situations. Is there a connection between depression and normal feelings of sadness? There is indeed – when a person’s overall attitude towards life is more negative, lacks confidence, and tends to be pessimistic, the risk of developing depression increases with maintaining this mindset long term.
There’s a certain genetic correlation to the onset of depression. Children of parents with depression have an increased risk of developing depression themselves. Individuals with chronic illnesses, OCD, other mental disorders, or those in unfavorable living conditions are at a higher risk of developing depression.
It can be said that maintaining a joyful and happy mood in daily life can help prevent depression to some extent. However, if one already has depression, managing emotions by themselves often proves ineffective; formal professional medical treatment is necessary for relief.
Typically, patients with depression exhibit various negative emotions that are directly related to neurotransmitters in the body. Using medications to increase these neurotransmitter levels can help alleviate the symptoms of depression. Maintaining a relaxed mood in daily life and seeking medical treatment promptly when feeling mentally unwell can help reduce the risk of developing depression.
Reference:
“Do antidepressants make people stupid, dull, and addictive?” Depression 2022-09-01
“Avoiding misunderstandings about depression – understanding depression from a scientific perspective” Mental Rehabilitation 2021-03-03
