by Shaykh Omar Baloch
Belief is the Greatest Cure No pill, counseling session, techniques to cope can compare to a strong belief in God. As long as one believes in a loving God, one has a reason to be optimistic. Belief can give you the ability to handle all sorts of difficult situations. It can give a person the ability to see the positive in the overwhelmingly negative situation. If you do not believe in God, I would suggest to believe in Him, give it a try and see if your outlook on the situation changes for the positive. We all need something to keep us focused and keep us going, we all need something that bring clarity to our world, all need to hold on to something for support. If there is a God, and there is, there is nothing stronger then the knowledge you can hold on to him to help you cope with your situation. Also, if there is a God, there must be good in what you are going through, you may not understand that today, but if we look at our past situations in life, we will see how the hard times, made us grow.
Most of our depression happens due to high and sometimes unrealistic expectations. If we can lower our expectations, we minimise the risk of going into depression. If we can minimise our expectation from others — then we really put ourselves in a position of strength and fortify ourselves from being exposed to feelings of being let down, betrayal and rejection-which are strong precipitating factors for losing self esteem, feeling low and going into depression.
According to DSM-IV (Diagnostic and Statistical manual Version IV), below are some of the major types of Depression:
— Major depressive disorder (also known as clinical depression or major depression)
This is a specific diagnosis from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders by the American Psychiatric Association.
Here are some sub-categories of major depression:
— Atypical depression, a cyclical sub-type of major depression where sleep, feeding and perception of pleasure are normal but there is a feeling of lethargy
— Melancholic depression a sub-type of major depression characterised by an inability to feel pleasure combined with physical agitation, insomnia, or decreased appetite
— Psychotic depression, a sub-type of major depression combined with psychotic or delusional perceptions
— Depressive Disorder Not Otherwise Specified
— Postpartum depression, a depressive episode occurring within a year of childbirth
— Dysthymia, a long-term low-grade depressive condition
— Adjustment disorder with depressed mood, previously known as “reactive depression”
— Seasonal affective disorder (SAD), a depressed mood related to the seasons
Other major categories include Bi-polar Depression (manic Depression) and Dual Diagnosis (Depression along with Substance Abuse). Dual Diagnosis is most difficult to diagnose and treat because most often people suffering from major depression self medicate using illegal addictive substances and end up seeking therapy for substance use. Once treatment for addiction progresses to an extent, depression comes up to the surface. On other times, depression acts as a catalyst to relapse in substance abuse and maintains the vicious cycle for the victim of dual disorder. Let’s now talk about some of the evidence based reasons why people develop depression
Social Causes of Depression
Marital problem and depression of parents will affect their children. When marriage is not working, it often turns to a stressor, which leads to depression and substance abuse. Depression of one spouse usually affects the other and the marriage. Even if the depressed spouse recovers - he/she is likely to relapse due to unsatisfying marriage. Marital discord often leads to depression and vice-versa, it may also lead to verbal, physical and emotional abuse.
If you find yourself in this situation then:
— The first thing to think about is if you need to be in a healthier environment. Never stay in an abusive place.
— Try to do activities together like eating, going out to the park, taking a walk, do something spiritual, etc.
— Help the family member admit there is a problem
— The husband and wife should make a list of their grievances and share it with each other every night or at least every week. Know your triggers. Focus on your own responsibilities, rather then your rights.
— Help someone; especially someone in your situation
— Take a holiday trip together
Lack of Positive Social Network:
Stressful social environments, lack of support network, high expectations and social competition due to cultural norms, ethnicity and social class play a role in overwhelming people and as a result, they become vulnerable to depression. A depressed person turns out to be over-sensitive to social criticism and feed-back, displays low self esteem, becomes dependent on people and constantly seeks re-assurance in a way that drives people away from him/her and thus re-enforces his/her idea that he/she is unworthy as a person. If you find yourself in this situation then:
—Spend a day with good deeds
— Smile
— Write one good thing about yourself everyday. Did you do a good deed? Did some good fortune come your way?
— Join any sports club, gym or volunteer at a place
— Attend a seminar on a topic you like
— Get a pet
— Rebuild relationships you have lost over time from your family, relatives, high school days, etc.
Gender Issues:
Societal norms regarding gender expectations can be source of stress, especially when women have to play multiple roles like a working mom who has to take care of her family, go to work and may be attending school simultaneously. Research also suggests that women are more likely to get overwhelmed by stressful events than men. Research suggests that single mothers are thrice more prone to depression than married mothers. Relative lack of power and discrimination in workplace, financial stress of low paid jobs, lack of social support network-especially for single mothers, biological factors like menstrual cycle, pregnancy, child-birth and menopause-they all contribute to increased risk of depression in women.
If you find yourself in this situation then: — See what are the responsibilities you really want to take on and those things that others can do, you do not need to over burden yourself with— prioritize, and don’t let other things bother you
— Do not let yourself become over stressed, and if you do take a break
— Know yourself and your body’s limits. Eat properly, sleep properly, give yourself personal time, exercise, etc.
— Create a schedule
— Read a book
— It’s ok to ask for help (friend, spouse, a support group, a self help for working mothers or single mothers)
—Hang out with friends
Medical Reasons:
Research suggests that stroke, heart attack, cancer, Parkinson’s disease and hormonal disorders can cause depression in a person by causing chemical imbalance in the person’s brain..
Solution: If you find yourself in this situation then
— Take extra care of your nutrition.
— Do not over eat. Fill your stomach with 1/3 food, 1/3 water, and leave one 1/3 for air
— Exercise
— Spend time looking at and contemplating nature
— Sleep well
— Incorporate Prayer in your daily schedule
— If you hear bad news, or something that make you upset, just sit down have a drink of water and see the bright side to the situation
Social Impact of Depression
Major depression is fourth most disabling condition in the world, and second most in the developed world. As well as the human cost, the burden on society is incredible. At the rate of increase, it will be the second most disabling condition in the world by 2020, behind heart disease. It is estimated 35 to 40 million Americans living today will suffer from major depression at some time during their lives, with about half of this amount suffering from recurring depression symptoms. A major risk outcome of depression is suicide. Here are some facts correlating depression and suicide:
— About a quarter of suicides in the US are felt to be due to undiagnosed, or misdiagnosed major depression.
— Up to 80 percent of suicide deaths are in sufferers of major depression.
Given that suicide is the eighth largest cause of death in the US, it’s no wonder that major depression is classed as “the nation’s leading mental health problem”
Islamic Solution
— Defining Goal of life: Islam teaches us that we should focus our goal on succeeding in our life to come after this life. If we emphasise on the transitory nature of this worldly life-then most of our problems of this life lose it’s importance in our lives and subsequently lose their power of a having negative impact on us.
— With difficulty, comes ease (Quran).
— Everyone needs a support system, and everyone needs a best friend, and everyone need role models.
— God never burdens a soul more than it can bear (Quran).
— Develop gratitude for the blessings that God has given you.
— A depressed person needs a source to turn to, turn to God for help, support, mercy and forgiveness.
— If there is a God, and there is, only good will become of the negative situation one finds themselves in.
— Find out purpose and value in your life and in everything that you’re going through.
— Incorporate prayer in your schedule at least twice a day. Talk to God.
— Live one day at a time.
— Surrender your unmanageable problems and things over which you’ve lost control of to God.
— Always Hope in Allah’s Mercy.
— Get involved with your religious organisations, charities, or some other volunteer work
— One should say “Alhamdu Lillah” a few hundred times a day. A phrase in the Arabic language that means “All praise and gratitude for God”. Muslims say this phrase when they are in difficult situations.
— If we think it is a bad situation, it could have been worse. If we think it is a good situation, it is still a test for us. Everything is from God and we should praise Him often. Thanking Him is one way to praise Him—Alhamdu Lillah.
— Remember, each one of us came to this world for a purpose.
Concluded
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