Depression, a mental illness that eats up a person gradually till either they are saved, or well, they loose themselves. There are many things in the world that can cause depression, ranging from disappointments to loss of a loved one, the list goes on and on.
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Depression respects no gender, age range or anybody's title as it affects both the young and old, rich and poor, titled and those without titles, and male and female as well.
We live in a difficult and stormy world where cruelty is the order of the day and the scars which are visible on your skin and the invincible to the eyes of others, determine how strong you are, and also, the level of respect you get. The world values tight lipped individuals, talk about your problems and you will be perceived as weak, and be less valued.
Every time, every day, month and year, the number of depressed people rises but who can they talk to? The society has forced them to pretend like they are strong, it forced them to show courage and less anxiety even in the face of death, and if they fail to show this, they will be branded as weak and inexperienced individuals who has not seen anything in life. Its no wonder the older we grow, the colder we get. Its no wonder its hard to see an average man smile genuinely, as they are busy acting tough while anxiety and depression eats them up from the inside.
Instead of talking to somebody, they prefer to sit at a bar, and take a couple of shots to easy their anxiety and depression, then go back home to rest and sometimes, find it difficult to sleep. Somebody tell that depressed individual that everything will be alright.
The societal and cultural barriers that unintentionally make people not to voice it out when they are depressed, is really alarming. People go deep into severe depression because there is no body to help them when it started.
Weakness. Most times, the community has high expectations for a person, they expect that person to be strong and wise, courageous, and brave. One thing they forget to understand is that we are all humans. Humans with emotions. When somebody becomes depressed, instead of helping that person out, they make fun of the persons inability to deal with depression and begin to see the person as being weak.
Though these societal barriers is not written anywhere, it lives and lurks in the community. Lets eradicate this thing before we lose good people to depression. Reach out to that friend genuinely, make no fun of them, and help them. Trust me, you too will feel good if you genuinely help them.