DEPRESSION

Monologue: I am here to tell you that you are worthless, hopeless and helpless. You
are nobody and your existence means nothing. I will suck the energy and motivation
out of you, until you no longer want to get out of bed in the morning. I will affect
every single one of your lives, whether it is through a loved ones, such as you parent,
your uncle or your best friend. Or some of you will experience me first hand. I have
killed many people each year, and I don’t discriminate based on age, gender, race,
skin colour or religion. Who am I? I am depression.

Today, we would like to share to all of you about something very important
nowadays which is about depression. Before that, do all of you know what is the
meaning of depression? People are always confused between depression and stress.
They think that depression and stress are the same thing, but in fact they are different.
Let me tell you what is the difference between depression and stress. Stress is the
body’s reaction to any change that requires an adjustment and response. Stress is a
normal part of life and you can experience stress from your environment,your body
and your thoughts. While depression is a common and serious medical illness that
negatively affects how you feel, the way you think and how you act. Depression can
occur in people of any gender or age and alter behaviors and attitudes. According to
the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 7.6% of people over the age
of 12 have depression in any 2-week period. It can lead to a variety of emotional and
physical problems and can decrease a person’s ability to function at work and at
home. So now, we will share about the symptoms of depression and how to overcome
it.
The first symptoms of depression that you need to know is low mood and prolong
feeling of sadness. Sadness is a normal human emotion that every single person will
experience at stressful times. A number of life events can leave people feeling sad or
unhappy such as the loss of a loved one, financial trouble, failing in exam and not
getting a job can all affect mood in a negative way. Sadness usually passes with time.
If it does not pass, or if the person becomes unable to resume normal function, this
could be a sign of depression. If low mood gets worse or lasts longer than 2 weeks,
then a health care professional may diagnose the person with major depressive
disorder.
The second symptom is feeling of fatigue,guilty and loss of energy. Fatigue is a
feeling of constant and can be physical, mental or a combination of both. It can affect
anyone, and most adults will experience fatigue at some point of their life. Although
fatigue is sometimes described as tiredness, it is different to just feeling tired or
sleepy. Eveyone feels tired at some point, but this is usually resolved with a nap or a
few nights of good sleep and someone who is sleepy may also feel temporarily
refreshed after exercising. But, if you are getting enough sleep, good nutrition and
exercising regularly but still find it hard to perform everyday activities, be motivated
at your normal levels, you may be experiencing fatigue and thus you are also
experiencing depression.
Next, not able to focus and cannot make decision than usual. Not able to focus
may not seem like obvious symptoms of depression, but they are more connected than
most people realize. You may find that you can’t focus on a task if other things are
taking place around you, distracting you from your intended job and leaving it
incomplete or below expectations. Everyday there are decisions to be made, some are
simple and some are difficult. Should I wear black or brown shoes today? What
should I eat for lunch? These may seem silly to some people, but when you are
depressed, even making the smallest decision can seem impossible. So, if you are
having a hard time making any decision even the small ones, you may be suffering
from depression.
Lastly, you have the intention to self harm and suicide. Self-harm or self-injury
occurs when someone intentionally and repeatedly harms herself/himself in a way that
is impulsive. Do you guys know how common is self-injury? A study shows an even
high risk for self-injury among college students with rates from 17%-35%. People
who self-injure commonly report they feel empty inside, unable to express their
feelings and lonely. So, if any of you have these symptoms you may experiencing
depression.
Depression is the treatable mental illness. If you have sign of depression, the first
thing that you need to do is seek professional help. Psychological or talking therapies
for depression include cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), interpersonal
psychotherapy, and problem-solving treatment. In mild cases of depression,
psychotherapies are the first option for treatment; in moderate and severe cases, they
may be used alongside other treatment. Interpersonal therapy helps patients to identify
emotional problems that affect relationships and communication, and how these, in
turn, affect mood and can be changed.
Next, sleep and eat healthily. Make sure that you sleep enough time everyday.
Most healthy adults need between 7 to 9 hours of sleep per night to function at their
best. You also must always consume healthy food like fruits and vegetables.
The most important thing is do not seek for alcohol and drugs. But there is a drug
that are allowed to be consumed which is antidepressants. Antidepressants is a drug
available from Doctor. Drugs come into use for moderate to severe depression, but are
not recommended for children, and will be prescribed only with caution for
adolescents. The drugs should be continued as prescribed by the doctor, even after
symptoms have improved, to prevent relapse. A warning from the Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) says that “antidepressant medications may increase suicidal ,
thoughts or actions in some children, teenagers, and young adults within the first few
months of treatment. Any concerns should always be raised with a doctor, including
any intention to stop taking antidepressants.
Last but not least, talk and discuss to someone that you trust. You can share
everything with them, so that you know that you are not alone to face the problems.