Mood disorder: Depression & Mania
Depression: intense sadness, worthlessness, social withdrawal, for an excessively long time
Mania: elation, lack of focus, impulsive actions, almost boundless energy, impaired social functioning
Bipolar: one or more manic episodes usually accompanied by one or more depressive episodes - extremes of emotions
Common, Inherited genetic tendency that gets activated by stressors, Effective drug treatment and therapy, Importance of social support to prevent relapses. Social stigma can be a deadly thing.
and yet...all these failed to capture
the pain
the conflict
the suffering
the sacrifices made
the lack of control
the loneliness
the raw determination
immense choice
Humans, not rats, not robots, not mere data in a clinical case. Today's lunchtime talk on depression has made me understand something that my textbook was not able to teach me.
those who seek help, seek counselling, choose to take the drugs, face it: they are stronger, braver and more human than they ever knew they could be
