Sometimes people get so sad that they completely shut down and shut everyone out. They'll look at blank walls and no matter what you say to them at that moment they won't respond honestly. At that moment it's like they don't exist.
A few days ago I read about a wealthy entrepreneur who committed suicide. To everyone who read that story, including me, he had it all, so why? If it was a poor fellow we'll probably say, "poverty got the best of him". So I ask again, why? Most people will think he was stupid for doing that and no matter what, he shouldn't have committed suicide.
I'm not going to justify what he did, but have we thought about how he was feeling, probably broken. Maybe he felt like no one cared, they only saw his fame and fortune and not him.
In Africa, conditions like anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, etc. are foreign. They are not normal to us, in fact, we don't give them names.
I once told someone I was depressed and her reply was, "we no dey get that thing for here, you're just tired, rest."
So maybe he had anxiety, and his anxiety was so silent people around him wouldn't even notice it on the outside, and maybe he was so stressed he could not even mange simple tasks. People around him at that moment might have thought he was lazy, but he was overwhelmed.
So Just Maybe.
These past few days I realised that people can be so quiet about their Pains, that we don't even realize they're hurting. So always be kind...
Try to push a little more above our normal question, "Are you Ok?"
Well, I usually say this to people “ humans are love beings”... And I think depression stems a lot from the feelings of not being able to give love to those we care about rather than the other way round.
ReplyDeleteDepression needs to be properly addressed in our modern day soceity due to the stigma of competition displayed.
Cars, houses, gold watch, expensive outfits, Beauty, ugly e.t.c has put lots of people on a fast track life to obtain these things at all cost and when such cannot be achieved, depression sets in as a constant reminder of being a failure.
Adding salt to the wound, is when most family looks up to a brother or sister to become successful. Many parents today have shifted part of their responsibility to their children to reward them of their labours. The weight this alone could break a tortoise.
It's high time we tender this psychological dilemma of our youths today. They are the leaders of tomorrow and as such cannot steer the country forward with troubled spirits.
Parents, teachers, elders, please the future depends on you to encourage the young sprouts.
Deviate from abusive words, refrain from harsh actions. These things breaks the spirit of an eagle.
Depression is real. It can't be eliminated solely by the depressed but together we can!
Happy independence day Nigeria.
Just maybe
ReplyDeleteNice one.
Depression is not a decision taken by the individual it's a state he/sge wishes not to be in. The earlier we accept this fact in Nigeria, the better and safer it is for us. Maybe, just maybe, these trending issues of poor decisions and suicide by depressed victims will slowly be a thing of the past.