My essay for WHO day !

Let’s talk Depression
“I don’t feel normal” Sneha told her mother. “What is not normal? You get up, you do your chores ,you study ,you have food with us , you laugh at jokes ,watch T.V. Everything is norml my child, you must be feeling hungry, go eat something then you will feel better.” Sneha’s mother answers her.What could possibly be wrong? Sneha is a graduate MBBS doctor studying for her entrance exams. She is beautiful, she is intelligent ,she is independent. But she doesn’t feel normal. She wants to tell somebody. She goes to her friends who tell her to just chill, stress is a compulsory part of life these days.It’s just a phase. Life will be better when she gets a post-graduate seat, they tell her. Her mother doesn’t even think that anything is wrong. But Sneha is a doctor, she knows this is not normal. She gets that sinking feeling in her abdomen. Sometimes she gets up early in the morning but still doesn’t feel fresh. Watching T.V. and movies , her favorite pastime doesn’t interest her these days. Yes she is a very motivated person. She keeps studying, or as she says she has to study to get a decent rank to get admission. She wants to do M.D. in medicine.It’s a rat race but she has to be in it. She eill be repeating the exam this year.If she gets a good rank and gets admission her future is secure.But what about her present? What about the endless tears she is shedding which nobody wants to see.
She meets her long lost best friend Mohana from school at the nearby jogger’s park.She is doing psychiatry.Conversation happens between them.Mohana makes her sit down and listens to everything she says.All the fears about future, all the insecurities start pouring out.Mohana understands since she had been through the same phase previously.Sneha feels lucky to have met her. Her head becomes clear. She takes her phone number and they promise to keep in touch.Sneha goes home with satisfaction and relief that there is someone who will listen to her. After a long time she gets a good night’s sleep.
This is just a part from Sneha’s life who was bogged down by the pressure of doing post-graduation.Is she the only one? No.There is Amit who has given endless interviews but is not getting a job worthy of his qualification.Sunita is a house wife who has forgotten to be happy while keeping everyone else happy in her family.Rahul is a teenager who just lost his best friend in a car accident.Then there is the farmer who works hard in the fields to feed the nation but himself goes hungry.These people need to talk.
Every day ,every hour , every minute thoughts keep coming in our brain.One thought leads to another thought and a chain of thoughts materialize and we forget from where the whole process started. What are thoughts ? These are synapses of neurons in the brain which are connected by various neurotransmitters .Increase in serotonin and dopamine neurotransmitters gives happiness and decrease in their quantity causes sadness.Depression is not sadness.In depression the quantity of these “happiness” neurotransmitters become extremely low which physically affects the person. The person goes through everyday routine like a normal person. But somewhere he is disconnected from life. There is a heavy curtain over the eyes, a pressure on the brain. This keeps the person from enjoying life. The essence of life is snatched away from him. Just like how the beautiful sense of vision is snatched away from a blind person. The person going through depression cannot enjoy the lovely moments of life.Life becomes a rutt.It becomes mechanical.This makes the person realize what is the point of doing all this routine which leads to the question – What is the point of living? Suicide is not done to seek attention or it isn’t a sign of cowardice at that time. But it is the only answer to that question. The person is surrounded by darkness. Future is not seen. How to go through the day is a difficult task. Soothing words, advices may help but only for time being. There is a sense of impending doom. It feels like drowning. But to resurface nobody but the person himself has to struggle with all four limbs.
Dementors, a fictional creature created by the author J.K.Rowling suck all the happiness out of the person and if they get real close to the person they give the deathly kiss which removes the soul from the body – which is worse than death. The man lives but without a soul. Soul which is the essence of life. Depression is no different. It takes away the essence of life. How to drive it away? We use the patronus charm. And to do that you need to concentrate on the happiest memories of your life. You need to know what is happiness. So to drive away depression you need to know what is normal.
The only thing that will help to come out of depression is believing in oneself. And just like how you collect all your garbage in the house and throw it in a dustbin, you need to collect all your negative thoughts and remove them from your head. For this talking helps. Talking gives a form to all those thoughts. Talking gives you clarity. It will help to organize all thoughts. Treating depression and tackling it helps in understanding life. Small things matter. Happiness can then be felt anywhere. The laughter of a small child , smell of a flower , the touch of a loved one , satisfaction of doing your job right. Let these things keep oneself motivated. When going through depression you don’t have to suffer alone. Take help, find someone who will listen to you. Some people might need medication for clinical depression. It is necessary and not a sign of weakness. Maybe that person is in depression because he has been strong for a long time. Let go, cry it out and empty your mind. Treat depression like any other disorder. Like diabetes where there is a deficiency of insulin, here there is a deficiency o serotonin.
Man is a social animal. That is the most perfect gift that God could have given us. So communicate. Nobody should feel that they do not belong to the society as Deepika Padukone has rightly said. Everyone is unique. Everyone has their own path and everyone has to experience everything on that path in their own beautiful way. So why not do it with a smile? Accept and love yourself unconditionally. The journey matters more than the destination itself.