Depression v/s Us – who is the bigger devil?

It was a Monday morning!! The sun was out shining in all its glory. And along with the birds chirping in the background, it was a symphony to jump-start you out of the bed. And while half the world was still inching towards the last lap of slumber, Nitika’s home was already buzzing in full swing. The sound of the pressure cooker interspersed in between the inhuman speed of the dicing of the vegetables and the rumbling sound of the mixer grinder was an everyday cacophony to let the neighbors know that Nitika’s mother was awake. But like any caring mother, Nitika’s mom cared more about her world that was blissfully sleeping in the house.  As excited and hopeful she was about her munchkins day, her eyes kept racing to the clock. It was 7.15 AM.  A quarter of an hour late than the usual time she rose. Was everything really ok? Pulling all the reins on her mind to not venture into negativity, she decided to check up on her.

Striding towards her room, she prayed to the GOD’s to keep her daughter safe. Very deftly placing her hands on the latch of her door, she pushed it downwards as slowly as possible and managed to open the door, thus winning over the battle with sound that was waiting eagerly for her to make a mistake. Pushing the door wide enough to only get a peak at her room, the first thing she noticed was the room was still dark which meant one thing: that Nitika may have missed her alarm and was still sleeping; or was something else at play here? To confirm her suspicion, she opened the door more wide to lay a gaze on the bed. What she saw froze her stiff with fear!! There was no one on the bed and the mattresses were ruffled. Realizing that her worst fears have materialized, she paced in to find her daughter sitting squat in the same corner of her bedroom, with her hands wrapped around her knees and head tucked within it. Its like she had seen the same devil that she many times had an encounter with in the past. And like this time, those encounters had infernal endings. But which devil was Nitika and her mom scared of? This netherworld being in our world is nicknamed as

HELL!! Everyone of you reading this blog may claim to have experienced the worst of hell in your life. But if you are not a victim of depression, then please allow me to break it to you that you have no clue about it. Lets have a small test to know how much you know about depression. What is the opposite of depression? If you answered happiness, consider yourself blessed because you are one of the many, whose life has been spared by this devil!! You have absolutely no clue about it. This blog is for you. I have had friends living with depression coupled with anxiety and bipolar disorder. I have seen them crying and  looking dead in my eyes as if screaming for help from the torment they live through. There is very little one can do in moments like these; least of which is just be there and not judge them. Give them the assurance that you will always be there for them and help them get the best possible help.

So how does it feel to be living with this devil. Its like forcing yourself to eat your favorite dish because its taste like it lacks salt, though you are the only one who isn’t getting that taste. Its like walking a trail you love the most, though now you have no clue why it has lost its charm. It like losing the drive to do anything in life. All you feel like doing is laying on your bed and feeling drained to even wake up, though the world outside is brimming with excitement. Now lets say you had to live like this every day. And then for years. Doesn’t this very thought sound very depressssssssing? The devil has to do nothing much. It has to just exterminate all your inertia or drive.

Lets now take a closer look at devastation it has caused through this simplest and yet most devious act. Depression, a “One person company” of the netherworld was incorporated somewhere in second millennium B.C. Beginning its operations in Western Asia, it now has a huge customer base throughout the world. The prices of its stock currently trading in Inferno exchange ltd., has been skyrocketing in the past few years. Establishing a massive foothold presence of a million mark in every country by 2015, it’s already pedaling quick towards the billion mark.

Depression in India!!

India has been one of the most promising, leading and still the most underrated markets for depression. The Devil played a masterstroke in ensuring that India will always serve as a bottomless pit piling with victims of depression. Which masterstroke you may ask? Creating a world where people are so heavily preoccupied  with religion, customs and traditions and putting a blindfold on everyone’s eye towards anything else that happens; the Devil has managed to rig every minute fiber of this country that prevents humans from being aware and thus evolve further.

Thus people here when they actually see a victim with any mental ailment, are more comfortable declaring them to be possessed with an evil spirit rather than feeling compassionate towards them. Needless to say, they therefore resort to Gods and Goddesses to cure these poor souls. Some of the startling statistics about India that compliment all of the above:

 

……….. If these count don’t surprise you, the following will:

In this world where science has the answers to most of our questions, is it possible to have Devils and Gods between us? Are we not living Devils and is this place not a big inferno! So who is the worst of devils – Depression or Us??

This should out rightly shame us. What kind of world have we created? How self absorbed and how uncaring have we become? Is this how we represent our culture? We don’t even flinch for a second, while boasting about our rich heritage and traditions. A depression victim might as well die than live in this burning furnace of hell.

What we fail to understand is that all of us are equally susceptible to this mental ailment!

And God forbid, if it does happen, would you want to be at the receiving end of it? – Food for thought!!