Depression - The New Kid on the Block!

Meet Bisola, a 30 year old, single parent of a beautiful 5 year old daughter - Pearl. Once a successful banker, she lost her job in the recent recession plaguing Nigeria. Since then, it has not been easy making ends meet. Every new month seems to bring bills, bills, bills. The last straw was when Pearl was tossed out of school for not paying her school fees. Since then, she just seemed to be going on a downward spiral. Her head hurts everyday, she sleeps for barely 2 hours in the night, if she manages to fall asleep at all and always wakes up feeling as though she ran a marathon all night. The day is no better as nothing seems to interest her. Even food seems like sand in her mouth. Of late, she's just so tired of life and wonders if it's not just better to die as nothing seems to be working for her on earth anymore. To make matters worse, her mum has'nt been picking her calls and her friends seem so distant. No one has a clue of what she's going through.

Can you guess what is wrong with Bisola? It is Depression. The mental health disorder that is affecting about 300 million people all over the world right now according to the World Health Organisation. It is so common now, that in Nigeria, statistics say that 1 in every 5 Nigerian is depressed.

So what exactly is depression? It is a mental health disorder characterised by sad, tense or irritable mood with or without mental and physical symptoms most times of the day, nearly everyday for at least 2 weeks. Some of the symptoms include:

• Feeling sad, tense or irritable.
• Loss of interest in previously pleasurable activities.
• Sleep disturbance - oversleeping or not sleeping well.
• Loss of energy.
• Unexplained weight loss.
• Difficulty concentrating or remembering things.
• Slowness in thinking, speaking or doing things generally.
• Feelings of guilt and/or worthlessness.
• Recurrent thoughts of death with or without thoughts of suicide.

Not everybody may experience all the symptoms listed above as it can manifest in different ways for different people. However, if you or anyone you know is going through any of the above, then you need to seek help. You must know that depression is not anybody's fault. It's not because they are weak or have low self-will. Its an illness. And it's very common, so know you are not alone. If you seek help, there is treatment that can improve symptoms in almost 80% of people. It is so bad right now. Suicide rates are increasing the world over and it's costing a lot in terms of loss of economic productivity and overall disability and morbidity.
Please, do not judge or stigmatise anyone going through depression. Instead offer support, show care and encourage the person to seek help from a qualified health practitioner.

Till my next post, stay mentally well, positive and healthy-Pink.

Dr. Anire Oduko.

For more Info on Depression check out the following:

• National Institute of Mental Health: Depression
• www.FamilyDoctor.org: depression
• Medlineplus: Depression
• Families for Depression Awareness.