Your school magazine is going to include a special feature on mental health. Recently, one of your friends was suffering from depression. Write an article for the school magazine about your friend’s depression and how he/she overcame it. Give advice to others on how to help fight depression.
Defeating Depression
Depression is a common and serious mental illness which makes people feel desperately despondent. It usually exerts negative impacts on both physical and mental health of people. Sad but true, my friend, Chris (a fake name is used here to protect her privacy), who is studying abroad, was suffering from depression. Fortunately, she overcame this hurdle last month. I hope that her victory of defeating depression can help others to fight against depression.
Chris went overseas to complete her schooling last year. Since the school curriculum there is totally different from that of Hong Kong, Chris found herself not able to follow well and got undesirable and unsatisfactory results in tests. She was thus under tremendous academic pressure. In addition, as she is introverted and very shy, she could not make any new friends at school. She therefore, felt lonely when she did not have even one friend to chat. Worse still, her parents were so busy working days and nights. They did not have extra time to care about and listen to their daughter who was caught in the middle of suffocating stress. Chris, thus, started to suffer from depression.
When I sent a video call to Chris, I was stunned by her skinny and pallid face. She was in deep depression and seemed not interested in anything, including desserts that she loves most. I was staggered when she told me that she sometimes desired to commit suicide. I then asked her to talk to the school’s social worker immediately. After doing some tests regarding mental health, the social worker found her suffering from depression. The social worker thus sent Chris to see a psychiatrist and reported Chris’ worsening situation to her parents. Listening to the heart-wrenching situation of their beloved daughter, Chris’ mother gave up her job in a bid to spend more time taking care of Chris. Her parents, together with the social worker, as well as the psychiatrist, spared no effort to help Chris fight depression. She then successfully defeated it after three months.
I think Chris is both unlucky and lucky. Although she was suffering from depression painfully, she got unconditional support from people around her and she overcame it ultimately. Yet, living in such a fast-paced city and studying under unrelenting pressure, all of us are potential targets of depression. Thus, some advice will be given on how to fight depression.
To begin with, it is crucial that people cannot always bottle up their emotions and feelings. The heart of a human-being is like a balloon. If there is only input of pressure and negative emotions but without any output by sharing with others, the balloon will blast very easily. Therefore, when you are under great stress or feeling gloomy, it is suggested that you should wear your heart on your sleeves instead of bottling everything up. It can help you fight against mental illness.
Besides, you should find your unique way to relieve your tremendous stress. For example, some people like to allay their stress through listening to their favourite music. It can make them feel relaxed and calm. Some would like to sleep in order that they can forget their pain and sorrow and alleviate their pressure. Thus, having your own style and way to relieve stress, you can escape from and defeat depression more easily.
Last but not least, people have to seek help from the one they trust immediately if they find themselves depressed. They can talk with their family or seek help from social workers. They will definitely give love and support to them wholeheartedly. If the case is serious, it is suggested that a psychiatrist should be consulted as soon as possible.
Mental health is as important as physical health. All of us have to be more alert and conscious of depression symptoms. Expressing feelings, relieving stress, and seeking help from others can help a lot in the battle with depression.