Basic HTML Version
64 | FireFlyz
Health
Mainstreamand social media areworking hand-in-hand to bring to light a deadly illness
that needs to be takenmore seriously, as
EdwinKoh
discovers.
S
oon
after the apparent
suicide of Hollywood
actor Robin Williams
– who , a c c o rd i ng
to comments by his
publicist, was suffering
from severe depression
– media outlets launched into a frenzy
of articles, posts, and tweets highlighting
“the leading cause of medical disability in
the United States” (everydayhealth.com).
And according to Health.com, it is “more
common than AIDS, cancer, and diabetes
combined, with nearly 400,000 people
attempting suicide in the U.S. every year.”
Here are some myths that should be
debunked about depression:
A Misunderstood Illness
Myth: Depression is not a real illness.
Depression is a serious medical illness. Brain scans have proven that physiological and
biochemical abnormalities are present in sufferers. Its impact can be emotional as well
as physical. Symptoms vary, from the emotional e.g. prolonged sadness, hopelessness,
anger, anxiety, having suicidal thoughts, to the physical e.g. feeling constantly fatigued,
experiencing sleeping and eating problems, headaches, stomach problems and body
aches. If symptoms last beyond two weeks and disrupt your daily functioning, seek
help (everydayhealth.com).
Myth: Depression is simplyextreme sadness, or self-pity.
Sadness can be due to an upsetting event or some form of loss, but it gets better over
time. Depression, on the other hand, is a chronic condition. People with depression
feel “empty, apathetic, anxious and tensed” in ways that make daily life unbearable
(huffingtonpost.com). U.S. Psychologist Katherine Krefft also noted that while depres-
sion can be caused by sadness, anger – particularly unrecognised and unmanaged
anger – seems to be a more common reason (everydayhealth.com).
Webmd.com also reported that people with depression are “not lazy or simply
feeling sorry for themselves. Nor can they ‘will’ depression to go away.” To say, “Snap