iGeneration - 21st Century Education (Pedagogy & Digital Innovation)

I have to say that everyone who suffers from depression or have close people who suffer it, should read this article. Most of the people around the world think that suffer from depression is just being sad and the only thing you need to do is think positively and move on, but when you get to know how is experiencing it, your perspective can change. Having depression includes episodes in which you do not want to do anything, your body feels pain, you feel sad and hopeless, and you are so tired that you would not want to move. This disorder is so serious that it can end up in suicide. Unfortunately, this kind of disorder have a stigma in all the world, that is why many people prefer not to say anything or ask for help since they think they are going to be labeled to have a mental health issue.

I found this article very helpful since the five strategies proposed are completely accurate; we should be aware of them and the most important, applied them. The first thing I would like to highlight is what Danielle Forth said: “A person experiencing depression does not want to feel like someone is fixing them”. Even if you want to help the other person, you need to be aware that you cannot do it completely, you cannot act based on your own perspective; that is why it becomes harder to help. We need to be able of listening to understand to express the other person that we are going to be there for them, every time they need it; however, sometimes we could not get an answer, and that’s okay, we need to give them time, too. As I mentioned before, depression is much more than being sad, and even if we try with all our forces to remove that feeling, it does not go away. Sometimes we try to help someone in a way that we read on the internet, but the symptoms of depression are different for each human being, so you need to take your time to get to know about this disorder which will help you realized what your loved one is experiencing.

I usually tell my friends that “it is okay not to be okay” since sometimes we feel that we cannot do it anymore, we want to give up, but it is a normal process of which we should not feel bad or ashamed. As a person that has had a lot of encounters with psychologists and psychoanalysts, I can say that it is the best I have ever experienced related to my mental health. It’s okay to ask for help when you feel that your world and your life are falling apart, but the biggest fear is taking the step. And finally, the most important is to be vigilant over your loved one. Depression could lead them to suicide, and even if it seems to be the worst, you can also help them to get through it. According to the writer, there are 3 kinds of signs to be aware of: talk (talking about death, suicide, no reasons to live, threatening to harm themselves), behavior (use of alcohol or drugs, sleeping more or less, calling people to say goodbye), and finally the mood (losing interest in people and activities, anxiety, shame). Maybe you cannot provide them with everything they need to carry on with their lives, but you can always let them know that they are not alone, they can count on you and you are not going to judge them. Sometimes, the most important thing is learning how to be there and staying there as long as you can.

It seems crucial not to be ashamed of feeling deeply as a human and opening up about ones mental health issues is key to getting better and getting the right help. Depression and anxiety are serious matters that need to be adressed. Thank to Nikki Webber Allen, we learn to get rid of that shame and stigma to finally get help