8 Misconceptions People Have about Depression
Oct 12, 2017 • Dani Panopio
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Many are still misinformed about depression and how it affects not just the person having it, but also those around them. Let us shed some light on common misconceptions about this disease.
Depression isn’t real
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According to the American Psychiatric Association, depression is a common and serious medical illness that negatively affects how you feel, the way you think and how you act. Some telling symptoms of depression are:
- Loss of interest or pleasure in activities once enjoyed
- Changes in appetite — weight loss or gain unrelated to dieting
- Trouble sleeping or sleeping too much
- Loss of energy or increased fatigue
- Feeling worthless or guilty
- Difficulty thinking, concentrating or making decisions
- Thoughts of death or suicide
With the abovementioned facts alone, we can definitely say that depression is a real thing that people deal with some time in their lives.
Depression is just another term for sadness
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What causes us to feel sad? A death of a loved one? An end of a relationship? A failing grade? Well, depression is much, much deeper than that. While it is a symptom of depression, feeling sad is very much different from being depressed.
Sadness is a temporary feeling, while depression is a long-term illness; it’s also an overwhelming feeling of sadness. People dealing with depression tend to feel apathetic and anxious. Physical change can also be seen in a person dealing with depression.
“But he/she doesn’t look depressed”
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Here’s one thing that people should know: depression does not have a specific face. Chester Bennington’s wife shared a video of her husband just 36 hours before he took his own life; in the video, Bennington can be seen playing and laughing with his kid, unaware of his intention to kill himself.
We can’t outright say that someone isn’t suffering from depression just because the person doesn’t look like they’re suffering. We’re also not in the position to dictate whether a person has or doesn’t have depression, as we don’t know what it’s like to walk in their shoes.
“It’s all in your head”
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Much like how De Leon said that depression is “gawa gawa lang” (made up), one misconception of people about depression is how it’s all made up and is just an excuse by the person experiencing it.
While it does start with your head (through dark thoughts, chronic pain), it’ll soon show up through different symptoms such as problems with digestion, sleeping, exhaustion, and fatigue, etc.
