I hardly see this topic discussed in this forum and after discussing this subject with a few people, including doctors, it seems that depression and other mental illnesses aren’t taken very seriously in our culture/society.
Do you know anyone who has ever been depressed/diagnosed with depression or any other mental illness?
Re: Depression/Mental illnesses
errr...can we move this to health forum please. thanks :)
Re: Depression/Mental illnesses
our culture ?
Re: Depression/Mental illnesses
Yes…one of my very very best friends was under medication for depression…and she is still trying to get her life back together…it is very sad..and it is real…but she stopped taking the medication..coz she wanted to fight it on her own…and it was not easy at the beginning…coz it is like coming off some kind of addictive pills.
I would be with her when ever I had free time…jst to make sure she was ok. She was even on Valium at one point :hinna:
But she isn’t from our culture…but it is something very real..and I did not believe in depression too..even though I have been through it for a long time…but I did believe it after I saw what she was and what she became!!!
Re: Depression/Mental illnesses
Alot of people still think depression only comes when circumstances call for it, like the loss of a loved one or any other tough situation but often times it has more to do with the chemicals in your brain and can strike regardless of a person's circumstances.
Re: Depression/Mental illnesses
If you are talking about it not being taken seriously In Pakistani culture,I think you might be right.
It is more likely to be considered as being possessed by some evil or something.Mostly because of ignorance among the masses and then thinking that anyone with a mental illness is an outcast.I have seen numerous patients of mental illness being treated horribly by close family.
I have known someone very closely who was bipolar and also labeled schizophrenic.I was too young to remember exactly but I do remember her depressed moods varying with manic phases .I have heard she was treated with drugs and a few times ECT (electroconvulsive therapy) too.Her family,including husband and sons treated her not so well....She succumbed to 10 other health issues and other neurological issue which kinda masked her psychiatric issues,but I certainly do not have any pleasant memories about her,and that is actually very hurtful because she was a very very close blood relative.
Re: Depression/Mental illnesses
Moved!
Re: Depression/Mental illnesses
I have seen numerous patients of mental illness being treated horribly by close family.
Actually you jst reminded me of one of my uncles...I didn't remember it coz i was like 6yrs old when I last saw him. But you are right...he was a distant cousin of my mom..and I remember we went there for a visit...and he has a VERY EVIL sister!! Coz she was sooooooo horrible to him..sooo sooo mean.
I remember her locking him up in his room if he didn't do what she asked him to do and she would not give him anything to eat the full day!!!! And i still remember his other sister and I, we would go from the back of the house and sneak food into his room through his window...OMG..I jst remembered that... :(
Re: Depression/Mental illnesses
Sara516......... would you like people calling you 'paagal'???
because thats what happens if you go to paagal khana a.k.a mental health institution for treatment..
thats the reason people ignore/avoid it...
and he has a VERY EVIL sister!
now you're just exaggerating...aren't you?? sister can't be evil...
Re: Depression/Mental illnesses
Depression has to be separated from depressive personality or bereavement.
If symptoms last more than 6 months then it is serious.
It is both under diagnose and over diagnosed. It has nothing to do with any particular culture.
Some physical conditions may look like depression such as thyroid disease, brain conditions.
ECT is mostly for those who are very ill.