Fight or Flight
A Hard Pill to Swallow
Imagine yourself cramming. Your adrenal gland produces the primary stress hormones, namely adrenaline and cortisol; you go into fight or flight mode. In Pisay, you face situations of similar nature on a weekly or even daily basis but evolution aids your survival through stress.
Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) or Clinical Depression is a mental illness caused by chemical imbalances between nerve cells in the brain. When one suffers from sustained stress and cortisol is overproduced, serotonin, the mood and function hormone, and dopamine, the pleasure hormone, are reduced significantly.
This begs the question: Does studying in Pisay cause chronic stress? Well the answer for that question is also the answer to the question “So Shawn, do you suffer from depression?”.
It’s no secret that our STEM based curriculum is more advanced and more challenging than that of other schools, and as you go up in grade levels, it gets even harder.
Studying in Pisay doesn’t cause depression, but the constant stress that comes with it sure as hell makes someone more susceptible to it. The amount of stress someone experiences is directly proportional to the probability of them being diagnosed with depression.
If already suffering from the illness, your functionality as a student is compromised. Requirements may seem like too much of a hassle to complete and idleness is a temptress so seductive all you can do is succumb to it.
You lose interest in things you once found pleasure in. To many, the very matter of existing is unappealing and so treatment is jeopardized. The heavy load that comes with Pisay is amplified and its weight might just crush you.
Psychotherapy and antidepressants that contain serotonin and noradrenaline are what cure MDD but since the sickness is not yet fully understood, curing is it is a long process. Yet when one of the causes for the illness is still there, that process would take even longer or reverse itself.
Learning how to healthily deal with stress and having a sufficient amount of rest are good preventive measures and may make antidepressants and psychotherapy more effective.
You probably never hear this, but when you feel the need to take a break, do not hesitate to give yourself the rest you need. Don’t try too hard and don’t strive for something past your breaking point.
Sometimes rest is not an option when you strive to be the ideal student. You have to choose between taking care of yourself and maintaining your grades. What do you do then?
Taking a leave of absence from school would be therapeutic in this scenario. Some professionals think that depression, when left untreated, can be just as deadly as cancer. Since it is that serious an illness, taking a break from school to prioritize your health should be a viable option.
In some serious cases, taking a even a month long break may not be enough time for you to be cured because the process of healing could take years.
It is unwise to fight multiple foes at the same time. You have to choose your battles, that would entail having to flee from some. The treatment of MDD should be prioritized over even academics.
The search for truth and the pursuit of excellence are not responsibilities that we cannot handle or should take lightly, but do you really think you should prioritize it over your own health?
We are reminded constantly that studying in Pisay is a huge privilege and assures you of a bright future ahead. Yet if you cannot get to that point in time, what is the point of your suffering?
Some who are diagnosed are never cured. After graduating and making it big, you could be a huge success in the field you pursued and still suffer from the mental illness you contracted in your youth.
As a Pisay scholar, even a prospective one, whether you stay or leave you are capable of great things. If you get depression and fail to spend time to take care of yourself and seek treatment, a fate worse than failing to receive a Pisay diploma may befall you.
In a severe case where treatment is impossible while being in an environment as stressful as Pisay, you’d be faced with the dilemma of whether you should stay for your assured success in the future and risk your health or if you should leave and try to secure the present and live day by day.
Which option do you choose? Fight or flight?
