The following information is news only and does not reflect the practice or opinions of the doctor.

We have made tremendous advances in science and technology, but our attitudes towards depression and psychiatry has not changed much. The article talks about the stigma surrounding depression and emphasizes how people dealing with it or having suicidal thoughts need help and support.

The term 'depression' is taboo in society, which believes that any kind of mental illness should be concealed and not revealed. Although there is a small change for the better, there is still a very long way to go. The very fact that a person is being treated for depression is enough to sow seeds of doubt and suspicion in those who know. Twitter polls corroborates this fact by indicating that largely, people were still not comfortable in accepting that they were Suffering From Depression and being treated for the same.

This refusal to recognize and be aware of depression has resulted in many cases not being treated at all. The article cites an instance where depression went unnoticed for a long time.

Forced into taking a medical entrance examination (in Jammu and Kashmir) that the patient was least interested in- caused him a lot of stress and strain. He couldn't eat, sleep or work and lay on his bed constantly drenched in sweat. His whole universe had collapsed and he lived in a dark valley, but others around him occupied in their daily routine, didn't think much of it. The very thought of having to take the medical entrance exam created a sense of anxiety and despondency, and the fact that the only other prevailing alternative- engineering- was ruled out because he had studied non-math subjects, made matters worse.

Clinical tests indicated that the patient was neither diabetic nor jaundiced and that was enough for his parents to believe that he was not diseased in any way. Since they were happy in their own world, they assumed that the patient was too. They refused to even consider depression as an alternative- let alone talk about it. The patient's family goaded him for not taking the exam, reprimanding and chastising him constantly. Jibes and floggings were routine, but all this served only to make the patient more devastated. In an effort to divert his mind from suicidal tendencies, the patient turned towards spirituality and remained behind locked doors.

Although the patient was familiar with many of the prevailing diseases, he never realized at that time that he could be Suffering From Depression. Suffering from pain and agony, despair and dejection, the patient couldn't seek medical help because of the stigma surrounding depression and psychiatrists. Strangely, people are comfortable about gay marriages, surrogacy and medical termination of pregnancy- why then this step-motherly treatment towards depression? Depression can be cured completely if detected early enough and if left untended can lead to death by suicide. With anti-depressants and psychotherapy sessions, depression can be conquered.

Talking about your depression, talking about what problems you are facing is a therapy by itself. So talk with those who are willing to listen and do see a psychiatrist- even if you have to do it secretively, without anyone knowing. If you have a poor appetite, suffer from fatigue, can't concentrate, have low mood levels, are indecisive and have insomnia, you could be Suffering From Depression. So do watch out for those symptoms, recognize them and act fast. Don't let depression overpower you.

Remember, depression is treatable- so don't delay medication. For psychiatry help contact Psychiatry Concierge.

The following information is news only and does not reflect the practice or opinions of the doctor.

Disappointments will always come in life in one form or the other. Often it starts from when you are young; negative experiences with teachers, poor parenting from parents, and different encounters with bullies. Other times it comes later in life; experiencing break up or betrayal, or losing your dream job.

 

Disappointments are almost a permanent fixture in life that even Alexander Pope once said: "Blessed are they who expects nothing for they shall never be disappointed." It would seem that the best way to navigate the hardships of disappointments is simply having zero expectations, after all with no expectations, there is no way disappointments can creep in. But leaving life without expectations can be a tough ask for anyone, especially in a world that everyone including yourself expects something from you. From parents expecting you excel in school, to you expecting you nail your dream job right after college, we are flooded with different degrees of expectations right from our inception.

But with so many expectations come an equal dose of disappointments. If you tailored to expect the best in everything you do, disappointments could creep in when you don't meet your target, and this can result in a negative psychologically response in your brain. Sometimes your brain finds it difficult to rise and start over because it has been dealt a big psychologically blow.

 

Wallowing in disappointments isn't ideal for anyone. One thing disappointment leads to is that it steals your present by making you live on your past. What has happened has happened, you can't change it or influence it. What you have control over are your future and your present, and that's what you should place your emphasis on. >There are lots of things you can engage in to relieve yourself from disappointments, and even prepare yourself for any future occurrence of any disappointments.

 

The following will better prepare you for what is to come.

• Accept that disappointments aren’t meant for you alone, but it happens to everyone. Normalize the situation, and understand that it is part of life. The key is not to dwell on your disappointments when they happen.
• Be objective about your disappointments and refrain from being subjective about them. Don't let your emotions control how you feel about what happened.
• Change your self-talk and stop talking yourself down. Be more positive and hopeful. Remember it has already happened, the best thing is to dust yourself up and try to be better. Don't let your disappointment define who you are.
• Create an achievable plan on your next plan of action. Start small, and don't be elaborate at first. Let your small victories be the hydration pack that propels you to do more.

Disappointments will always come in different forms what is important is how you respond to them. Remember you are in charge of your actions ultimately. If you are battling depression or PTSD as a result of disappointment, kindly seek professional help immediately.

 

Remember, depression from disappointment is treatable- so don't delay medication. For psychiatry help contact Psychiatry Concierge.

The following information is news only and does not reflect the practice or opinions of the doctor.

Regrets are almost a constant in one's life. We always look back to those chances we didn't take, to that investment we didn't make, and the leap of faith we never took. The beauty of life is that it isn't linear, life in itself is unpredictable and as such regrets will come in different shapes and sizes, on a daily, monthly or yearly basis.

Looking at it from a bird's-eye view, regret isn't a negative thing. Actually, it is a call to action. It is meant to give you a second wind to getting something right. Take a parent who has spent all of his/her time working with little or no time for the kids. Such a parent might come across a jingle on TV about a parent playing with the kids in the garden. This parent might feel an ounce of regret for not spending time with his/her kids, and in a way, be propelled to do better and devote more time to the kids all cause of that feel regret. That's how regret ought to work.

But most people use regret as an excuse to feel bad about themselves. People end up questioning their ability, feel terrible about certain things that have happened in their lives, and constantly look back on what could have been. Rather than use regret as a call to action to become better, they utilize it as a rear-view mirror to see what is in the past. The past is the past, leave it behind, you can't change it. What you can change is the present, and the future and your actions will determine the kind of present life and future you will have.

The following steps help you to channel your focus on your present while working on your future.

• Own it. What happened before has already happened, you can't change it. You have to own it if you are ever going to let it go. Let the emotions out, and make peace with yourself.
• Learn from it. Experience is the best teacher. Learn what went wrong in the past, and try as much as you can not to repeat the same mistakes. Don't leave any stone unturned. It will make you do things differently when you are faced with the same situation.
• Write what you desire to have. Rather than regretting over a lost item, or a failed relationship, write out what you want for yourself in the present and future. This will help you maintain focus on the essentials and not in the past.
• Live your life in the now. Enjoy what is in front of you, and live your life that way. Be in tune with your world, and commit your senses to the world around you. Don’t look back, it has already happened, you can't change it, and it doesn't have control over you.

Don't spend your entire life in regret; it will only consume you. Instead, let the regret spur you on to be a better version of yourself.

 

Remember, depression from regrets is treatable- so don't delay medication. For psychiatry help contact Psychiatry Concierge.

The following information is news only and does not reflect the practice or opinions of the doctor.

It is very common to find people blame themselves for any mishaps that come their way. Most folks end up viewing what has happened to them as being a part of who they are. Fail an exam; now you are dumb? Lose your job; now you are a grade one loser. Check out the different circumstances you've found yourself over the years and consider the self-talk you utilize to form a connection between what happened and who you are.

The same can be said about positive events; let's say, for example, you ace the test, you are intelligent, or you scored big in the stock exchange, you are smart. The conventional parallel that can be drawn from both negative and positive scenarios is that people take the situation that has happened, and define themselves based on what has happened.

It is for this reason that parental experts always mention the adverse effects of telling a child he/she has done well or acted poorly in specific scenarios. The behavior exhibited by the child doesn't define the child. Although the child is inside the situation, the situation doesn't define the child.

Life is a random occurrence, and when you end up defining yourself by what happens to you, you are creating a problem for yourself. Let's look at this scenario. We can say a person who gives their time to study, and networking will succeed more than a person who doesn't put any effort. On the other hand, there are persons who are naturally talented and don't need to put in as much efforts as others. They just end up doing the right thing at the right time and being in the right place at the right time. It is not easy to control what happens to you even though it looks easy.

Essentially, to build your self-confidence and go through life with audacity and boldness, irrespective of your external circumstances, you have to know how to separate who you are from what happens to you whether good or bad. Create an aura of objectivity, step back and learn to observe as an outsider, only then can you see that you are not your circumstances, and in no way does your circumstances define who you are. The following will help you to be more objective;

• Don't use languages that limit or inflate who you are relative to your current circumstances. Try as much as you can to be objective at all times without the need for extra commentary. Stop at "I was laid off," no need to add "because I am a loser."
• Don't forget that you lose some and you win some. Don't spend too much time wallowing in your defeats or rejoicing in your victories. Strive to be better at all times, and be confident about your achievable goals.
• Have a friend join you on this journey. You both can partner up, and put a benchmark on using words like "bad girl" or "good guy." Practice giving objective feedback at all times.
• Pay attention to your self-talk. Try as much as you can from telling yourself about yourself. Don't ever fall into that trap of telling yourself how great you are or how bad you.

 

Remember, depression from regrets is treatable- so don't delay medication. For psychiatry help contact Psychiatry Concierge.