One of the most misunderstood ailments that plague people of all ages is depression. Because of this misunderstanding, people who suffer from depression are hesitant to seek help. They just try to find ways to cover up the sadness and to believe that the depression will just go away. After all, nobody wants to be called weak, insane, or overdramatic! But to get over this intense feeling of sadness and despair, which could lead to more severe effects in life, we must all understand this condition and debunk certain myths about depression.
Myth 1: Depression is only experienced by women
True enough, more women are experiencing depression compared to men. Though studies do not pinpoint a particular reason for this, hormones seem to be the most logical reason for women being more susceptible to this condition. According to statistics, before puberty sets in, boys and girls are on equal footing when it comes to depression. After puberty, however, women have become exposed to fluctuating hormones; hence, more women experience the sometimes debilitating disorder. But this does not mean that men rarely suffer from depression. Low self-esteem and any tragic event in life can trigger this condition, even among men.
Myth 2: Depression is only experienced by adults
Unfortunately, depression is not limited to adults. Even children and teenagers experience depression. When this happens, adults will think that the child or teenager is merely a full generation away. Adults cannot believe that children and teenagers can ever be depressed, but think of their actions as mere rebellion.. They think that depression is an adult problem because they feel only adults can ever feel something so strongly. Sadly, children are not that good about expressing what they actually feel. Their parents may think that they are just being sullen and difficult. Statistics say that 1 out of 33 children are depressed in a year. Similarly, 1 out of 8 teenagers are depressed. Have you not heard of teenagers suddenly killing themselves? Some of these teenagers must have felt so alone during their last moments.
Myth 3: Depression is not a medical illness
It is all in your mind, they tell you. So, you try to find ways to make yourself happier and more fulfilled. However, the feeling just will not go away. It keeps on constricting not just your breathing but your whole life. If you are depressed and you get yourself scanned, your doctor will point out the differences in how your brain looks like to how the brain of a non-depressed person. Depression is, therefore, a medical illness that can be diagnosed not only through descriptions of feelings but also through a physical examination. It is not only in the mind but is also experienced by the body. A myth associated to depression not being a medical illness is that since depression is not an illness, it cannot be cured or treated. People would probably just tell you to get your act together so that you will resolve whatever it is that is slowing you down. Because depression is supposedly not a medical illness, you can just will it away if you want to; a doctor should not be able to help. On the contrary, a doctor can prescribe anti-depressants or other forms of treatment, such as therapy, that can make you feel much better.
Myth 4: Depression is normal and will just go away
A lot of people believe that depression is only in the mind. For them, depression is just a prolonged version of the blues. The blues just go away because as the popular saying goes, “Time heals all wounds.” The blues at least has a foundation in what is actually happening to you. If you have just gotten divorced or your friend just died, it is normal for you to feel grief. You may even grieve over moving from one place to another because of the terrible sense of loss associated to that moving. After some time though, you get over it. With depression, it is different. There may be a trigger but this trigger may not be that tangible. For example, if you are suffering from seasonal depression, you may find yourself feeling hopelessly sad during Christmas or during winter. There may not be any sad event associated to the particular season. You just feel terrible, to say the least. There are people who do recover from depression without any treatment, for some reason that may not be clearly explained. However, there are those whose conditions can only be treated with professional help.
Myth 5: Depression is a sign of weakness
One of the strongest reasons depressed people do not get help is that there is the unfounded belief that depression is a sign of weakness or even insanity. However, this neither a sign of weakness nor insanity. When you seek help for depression even with the well-known stigma attached to the mental illness, you are one strong person. Think of Abraham Lincoln, Florence Nightingale, Napoleon Bonaparte, and many others. They have suffered from depression but are not even examples of weakness. On the contrary, these are people known for being strong and influential. Even with your strength, you still need professional help to rise over depression. It is not a condition that can be willed away. It can be a condition that has resulted from the chemical changes in your body.
It is unfortunate that there are so many myths that surround depression, which prevent people from seeking help. Those who can no longer endure the pain of depression and the loneliness with people not being able to understand them sometimes even take their own lives. Understanding that people of all ages can suffer from depression and that treatment is available for this condition is an important step toward healing.