“Beliefs have the power to create
Beliefs have the power to destroy”
-Tony Robbins
Beliefs are extremely powerful. Hence, one must be very cautious in understanding if they are serving us or limiting us. Unfortunately in the field of mental health most of the beliefs that people hold limit people instead of serving them. And it is quite pronounced in mental health conditions like depression that are widely prevalent.
This blog elaborates on 3 wrong beliefs that people hold concerning depression/depression treatment. They are
Let’s explore them in some detail.
Wrong Belief #1: Depression is Normal
The problem with this belief stems from the word depression itself. It’s quite normal to say it was so depressing to watch the movie. Here the word depressing has been used in the context of human emotion/mood and not as a medical condition. So, the sheer usage of this term has blurred the line on what depression is in the medical context. In the medical context, depression is painful, and disabling, and affects the motivation of the person to get out of bed and fulfill their responsibilities and that is not normal. So, if you come across someone experiencing these symptoms and are confused with the depression treatment, what do you do? You tell them that it is not normal and ask them to seek medical support.
Wrong Belief #2: Once Depressed - Always Depressed
Let’s take the flu as an example. You are not branded as a person with flu due to the on-and-off occurrence of the same. But, for some reason, people feel that if a person goes through depression once, it is a permanent disorder for them. That’s the farthest from reality. It's like the flu, when you have it, you have it and when you don’t, you don’t. Most of the patients who have depression are not depressed forever. They have a phase where they go through depression and they can have a normal life if it is treated properly. If someone in your circle is confused regarding depression treatment, what do you do? You tell them that it is not a permanent condition and ask them to seek medical support.
Wrong Belief #3: Tablets cannot change mental feelings
Anything that has to do with the mind, we become too sensitive and think too much along the lines of side effects and the risks, etc. Here is the thing - It’s very simple - Tablets are chemicals. They interact with our body and reverse the condition back to normal. Like an anti-diabetic tablet interacts with our body and reverses the condition back to normal, the medication for depression reverses the alterations in the chemical neurotransmitters which is the primary cause of depression. The belief that tablets can't change mental feeling is because we see the mind as something different from our body. Biologically speaking, the mind is very much a part of our body and it responds to medication like any other part of our body. There is a problem when you confuse biology with philosophy. If you take away all the perceptions and view just the facts, it is very apparent that the mind is a part of your body. So, If someone in your circle is confused with depression treatment, what do you do? You tell them that tablets can help alleviate the condition and ask them to seek medical support!!
Remember,
Depression is not normal
Depression is not permanent
Depression is something that can be cured by medication
All one needs to do is seek support.
Excessive thinking colored by wrong belief systems can make the depression treatment very complicated. So, keep it simple, and seek medical support.
Cheers!!
Dr K Selvaraj.
