A Conversation too late
Starting mine here
I hate that it has to take a person committing suicide before the topic of depression and mental health is raised.
I hate that people only relate to the struggles of the victims only after they are dead.
I hate that the conservation around mental health can only last as long as social media can provide.
I hate that many people are still uneducated about the causes, symptoms and treatment of mental health-related diseases.
I hate that it only counts when someone is dead.
I hate that the world is so blind to the realities of mental illness in their homes and within their association.
I hate that I had to learn the hard way what my society refused to teach me about living with mental illness.
Hi, my names are Praise Adeola and I lived with depression for more than 6 years and presently surviving anxiety at the moment.
I have been having conversations with myself surrounding mental health and personal development from the age of 16 (because the adults in my life knew nothing about the subject matter.)
Because I lived with depression, I grew a lot faster.
A few days ago, a young man like me- who had been battling his demons quietly for 7 years decided to take his life. This drew quite the attention on Twitter.
This only happened because the young man had earlier left a note on the internet explaining the reason for his preceded action and bidding goodbye to his friends and family.
Nigerian Twitter wasn’t seeing this for the first time, but their reactions were as surprising Travis Noah’s new song.
The conversation then began. Some were
“Depression is real”
“Use kind words”
“Suicide is never an option. No matter what the situation might be please don’t take your own life”
“Check up on your friends”
All these words are all too familiar but come too late.
The irony in these statements is that we know all these beforehand, but only think it is applicable after a victim’s death.
The conversation ends with the victims, until the next.
This is the culture and it has taken over 6 years of mental illness to understand that the trend is helping no one.
Who does this benefit?
Has mental illness taken a turn from no conversation to chasing clout and retweets on social media? What about the mentally allied- what is the community doing to change the status quo?
I live you with these questions, hoping that the next time someone else is thinking of taking his/her own life, our voices and compassion will be what keeps him/her alive.
Because a conversation too late is no conversation at all.
