Depression Awareness: The Myths

Depression will strike everyone at one point in their life. It is a natural reaction to hardships and trauma we face everyday. Many myths and legends that are traded about the disease mislead you into forming bad opinions. By dispelling the myths, you take the first step word understanding. This in turn shows the way to prevention and possibly even cure.

Myth 1

The blues and depression are not one in the same. The blues are short term and not even considered mild depression. Depression is long term and or can be repetitive. The two do share some common links. Allowing yourself to prolong the blues can lead to mild depression. Untreated mild depression can lead to major depression and related disorders. Being proactive with both the blues and depression can lead to cure.

Myth 2

Depression is not a weakness. Depression is not a personality flaw. The disease has these false beliefs attached to it. The truth is depression is an illness. It has many causes and caught early enough, it can be handled or cured. Left alone it can manifest into a major disorder in any number of ways.

Myth 3

Depression is not a psychosis. There are psychosis disorders that can evolve from depression. Throughout history, depression has been depicted as a psychotic break of sorts. This is mainly due to the fact since depression was misunderstood or misdiagnosed it was allowed to progress into a greater disorder. Some of the disorders were misinterpreted as a form of psychosis. An example of a depression related disorder that was misinterpreted is Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD). It was first thought to be a form of schizophrenia. A person afflicted with this disorder actually will perform conflicting actions as if by different personalities. Instead, it has been found that the cause is root in depression clouding the mind. This is a simplified explanation of one part of BPD condition. I do have to point out there are two other schools of thought on BPD. There is a school that does not recognize BPD as a genuine disorder. On the flip side, there is a third school of thought that when a diagnosis is unclear just labels the condition as a result of BPD. Both of the schools are judges by the main faction as irresponsible toward respecting the disorder.

Myth 4

Stress is not a form or depression. Stress can lead to depression. I have been asked about the stress-depression relationship in every forum or lecture I have been in. It is important to practice stress reduction. The pace and demands of our society make it difficult, but it can be done. Ease up on the stress and you take positive action to preventing depression. I truly believe managing stress should be a standard subject taught in the middle years of schooling for kids. If not then, before graduation and moving on to college or the work force full time. Teaching stress management in the formative years will offer children a step up in life.

Myth 5

For normal people depression will pass in time. This is a risky assumption. It can happen, but it is not always the case. The best course of action with depression is to be proactive. It may be a physical problem caused by hormonal imbalances. Some feel express their reactions to a person experiencing depression with a simple “Cheer up” chant. They mean well because these people are confusing depression with the blues. They do not have any depression awareness.

Myth 6

It runs in the family so you will get it. Not necessarily a truism, but it is a red flag. Depression is known to run in families and is considered potentially hereditary. Research has not been able to sort out the heredity factors from the environment factors. You do not quarantine humans for a study. You can only take an overview. That overview has many exceptions. Yes, it is a sign of a high-risk possibility, but not a certainty.

Myth 7

People who suffer depression need to coddled is a major farce of the depression mythology. Coddling is a form of over protection. When people react that, way they aggravate the depression problem. People who allow themselves to be coddled constantly experience lowered self esteem. Another outcropping of this form of reacting is people give the sufferer a free pass in the overall responsibility of their actions. This not only feeds the depression, but also creates a form of emotional manipulation the sufferer learns to take advantage of. Then, if and when you do demand they be responsible for their actions, animosity feeds into the depressive disorder. In a sense, a fine line is drawn with this aspect of relating to a depressive person.

Myth 8

Depression is a never-ending life long battle. Actually, if caught early enough depression can be treated and even cured. It is not always the case. The biggest problem with depression is most cases go untreated or treated improperly.

These are just a handful of the myths surrounding depression. In the future, I will look into other aspects of the disease. The key to depression awareness is knowledge. Knowledge gives us a chance to achieve prevention and cure.