Why do we talk about our wars against depression after we’ve come out of it? We could begin while we are still in battle.
“Why would they want to hear my sad stories without a pinch of hope?”
“They say things will always get better in the end, so should I not pay much attention to what I’m going through?”
“What if I’m asked to take things a little more lightly – take a chill pill – and feel guilty about having these feelings?”
“What proof do I have about my condition apart from words – words that won’t even reach my lips?”
“What if I become a burden and hurt them?”
A depressed person might often have these things on mind. But beyond these worries ultimately is a person who wants to come out and accept their condition to pave the way for treatment. Social stigma, though, is an unfortunately common barrier.
It’s often hard as a receiver to comprehend your friend’s troubles with understanding. If they seem wrapped in their own sadness, what part do you believe and what is exaggerated? And can we really judge this? Should we at all? It’s often felt that once our friend reverts back to an ‘acceptable’ form that she might begin to talk about it objectively.
Imagine your mind to be this mean little person you avoid sitting next to in class. The only difference this time is that this mean little person would leave after school got over.
Tragically, your mind will not. You are trapped. And then you realise you don’t have any sort of outlet.
After all, who likes a sad story?
People come running to you when you injure your knee or your arm. But when it comes to a mental illness and you have nothing physical to show them, they do the exact opposite of what they did in the former case. They can run away. At best, trudge along with sympathy when what we really need is empathy.
This needs to change, and I believe its people battling with depression who can start breaking this social stigma. It’s people like me and you who can do it.
One way to make sure that we aren’t in denial of our condition is to narrate or share your experiences – the good, the bad, and the grey areas. You might never know if it helped someone or not, but it always feels good knowing that your advice or experience could trace the learning curve for someone going through a rough patch. Look forward to the future, you warriors and survivors, because that’s the only way to create possibilities.
This Blog has been Written by – Lavina Narwani [SCMC Pune ]
*Disclaimer – The opinion expressed in the blog is the opinion of the writer & not necessarily the opinion of ANTARA Organization.