There is a fundamental problem with the language that is used in relation to depression. It is described and treated like it is something which people will just get over. It is not like having a cold or a touch of flu, you won’t feel bad for a week, take a vitamin C and then feel better again.
You will feel bad for a long time, each person who experiences it will feel it differently, some people will be more resilient and even though they are really unwell they will make it look like there is nothing wrong with them. You will feel better again sometimes, then get worse, you will forget what joy feels like, you will lose all of your energy, you will stop being able to taste food, you will feel like you are the discarded husk of who you were.
Depression is not something that can be simply solved and even explaining it to someone is difficult because unless you have ever felt like your life is worthless, you are worthless and it will never get better, it is impossible to understand how that feels.
We talk about treating mental illness and this phrasing in itself is flawed. We can alleviate symptoms, however when it comes to curing the sickness it is not necessarily something that we can ever wipe out. The only guaranteed predictor of suicide is a failed attempt. How can we treat something when we don’t even understand what can lead to it?
To state that depression can be cured through exercise, or medication, or diet or working in a job you love is not only incorrect, it is dangerous. We take a very real illness that is having a significant impact on someone’s life and we diminish it. We tell someone that they are not trying hard enough and that they can get better if they really try to.
Would you tell someone who has severed their spinal cord they could walk again if they tried hard enough? Would you tell a diabetic not to take their insulin because they shouldn’t need to put drugs into their system?
I think of depression as a chronic illness, it will always be there and measures will need to be taken to maintain it, monitor it, and alleviate symptoms so that it doesn’t become terminal.
I don’t believe that there is stigma around it, I do believe that there is poor understanding about what it is. There needs to be a shift in the way that we talk about it, we need to talk about it more, we need to use the right words and we need to be more aware of how we can further cripple someone who is already carrying an enormous burden.
We need to stop telling people who have depression that they are brave for talking about it. When we tell someone they are courageous for being honest,we reinforce that is is something to feel shameful about.
Depression is an illness. It is a disease like any other, we can work to identitfy the symptoms, determine the cause and work to alleviate them.
Is it possible to cure? I don’t believe so.
