One day a young married HIV infected person shared with me that
she was depressed and wanted to end her life as people around her thought that she
was unfaithful to her spouse. The real reason we found out later was that she
had undergone multiple surgical procedures in the last 4 years to conceive a
baby.
Her Depression was real.
The same evening, I met a young working adult who also
shared being depressed and wanted to end his life. The reason being his team lead did not like him and
spoke sternly to him as he had missed meeting his target consistently for the
last 3 days.
His Depression was also real.
A little paradoxical as it may sound the reasons may be
diverse however the manifestation is real. Being Sad, Unhappy or Depressed especially
in young working adults is very a common complaint with phraseology “I am depressed
because……… Sometimes the reasons are manageable and sometimes they are not.
As a mental health expert, I can vouch that the symptoms of
this modern day epidemic called Depression impacts the person suffering from it,
his family members and indirectly his workplace.
Scientifically speaking a person is considered clinically
depressed if he/she has lost interest in activities which were previously pleasurable
like watching movies, socializing, clubbing, shopping, surfing, outdoor sports
or simply watching nature etc, Other important signs are loss of appetite for
food or sex, lack of self care, personal hygiene, disturbed sleep, weight loss
or weight gain, persistent low mood or feeling blue, a feeling of helpless in
the current life situation or hopelessness for the personal future lasting for
a period of more than 3 weeks, The associated symptoms are irritability, crying
spells and an increased consumption of alcohol,smoking or drugs.
Additionally in young working adults the probable early
symptoms of depression could be lack of attention to details and persistent
errors at work in spite of repeated reminders, constantly speaking negative about self and others,
irritable, argumentative,being late for meetings,
distracted during important conversations , complaining of exhaustion all the
time. These take a toll on the young person’s morale, self-esteem, performance
rating and ultimately his career progress.
The amazing part about this psychological problem in the context
of work place is it can be corrected by simply getting back your earlier rhythm
ie a regular schedule to eating, sleeping and exercising. By sharing emotional concerns
or talking with significant people in one’s life, talking to a senior at work,
or a counselor, a spiritual guru or an elder also does wonders in a few cases if
complicated by other illness or life event meeting a health expert for therapy
will be prudent.
An Emotionally Healthy Life is a gift of a responsible individual
to himself.
Great post sir.
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