DEPRESSION IS SLOWLY BECOMING CANCEROUS IN OUR SOCIETY
In the year 2007 October, I came back home from a long stay in Germany. This marked my second visit in Germany and on both visits, I came back home empty handed. My stay in Germany was meant to help further my studies but unfortunately we plan, God laughs. I came back angry, frustrated, disappointed and could not see a bright future ahead of me.
When my family picked me up from the airport, I requested them not to tell anyone of my return. I was on crossroads. I had hit rock bottom, but was unable to explain what was happening to me. Three days after my return, I decided to lock myself in my room; I did not want to see anyone, the lights on or curtains opened. Being an introvert, I managed to stay in that room for a full month. I only had my bible, notebook and a book by Rick Warren “Purpose Driven Life”. I recently thought about that experience and discovered I was depressed. Depression simply changes how you feel, think and function in daily activities. According to a research by WHO documented on 2nd October 2018, more than 300 million people live with depression worldwide.
In my practicing sessions as a Trainer, Speaker and Counselor, I have picked a few tendencies that are common with depressed people. Here are 3 points that can help you when associating with a depressed person:
SOCIAL WITHDRAWAL
In December 8th 2018. WHO ranked Kenya at position 4 in Africa with 1.9 million depressed people. On April 2nd 2019, WHO ranked Kenya at position 6 in Africa and this is supported by the huge number of outpatient-depressed cases handled at Mathari hospital averaging 800 on a weekly basis.
No doubt about it, these worrying trends tell us that Kenyans are sinking deeper and deeper into depression.
Have you ever taken time to find out why that colleague, relative, friend or acquaintance withdrew all over sudden, they either stopped talking, left WhatsApp groups, changed their identity on social media or even pulled out of social media completely? When people get depressed, they tend to isolate themselves from the world in the thirst to try put themselves together or fight this monster alone.
SUICIDAL THREATS AND ATTEMPTS
There is a Swahili myth in Kenya that says, “Mtu hutaka kujiuwa huwa hasemi na yule husema hatajiuwa.” This simply means anyone who threatens to commit suicide never talks about it and those who do will definitely not commit suicide.
This is wrong from all fronts. www.citizentv.co.ke published an article on 23rd March 2019 and I quote, “A 28 year old girl in Meru committed suicide over heartbreak, posts suicide notes on Facebook before taking her life.” When you keenly read this sad report, you will pick a sense of vulnerability and a silent yet loud red flag of danger. Every single person who attempts or commits suicide often asks for help in an unconventional way. The problem is, our society is not well equipped with the skills to pick up these loud messages and help or refer individuals appropriately. On the contrary, we hurt the victims further unknowingly.
ANGER AND IRRITABILITY
Everyone experiences anger at some point in their life. These moments are usually short lived, but when anger lingers long term, it should raise concerns. A study by Jama Psychiatry 2013 states that irritability and anger outbursts were present in 292 of 536 depressed participants. This is enough evidence that people who present signs of prolonged anger or anger outbursts are not necessarily mean, stubborn, tough headed, or hard to cope with; they are simply unwell and are crying out for help.
I urge you to look within yourself and think for a moment. Might you have come across a depressed person and hurt them unknowingly? Could you currently be going through depression unknowingly? Might the society have contributed to the overwhelming strength of this monster? We may not be in a position to answer these questions correctly, but there is definitely something we can do. We can be each other’s keeper; we can be kind and friendly to one another. We can be supportive to one another; we can be deliberate on checking up on one another and above all, we can study and research on depression to be of better help to our sisters and brothers.
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