Deeper than sad

In the rushing pace of a "normal" regular urban life in particular, in the incessant race to just get somewhere, chasing an elusive place of prominence and glory for which the thought of a much-needed rest is a looming security threat to a very ambitious mind, and the desperate realisation of some potential dearly held; it is expected and even normalised to feel about as low as high hopes and dreams one nurtures. This is to say that depressive mood is inevitable and hence depression is so common, and even on the rise. It is natural to feel low given the numerous things that one cannot help being associated with. Some amount of partial information regarding depression has managed to bring it in common parlance and discourse but the awareness of the depth of this mood condition has still not reached its right place in collective and individual perceptions. People know what depression is but they do not know what it is like exactly unless they have experienced it themselves. Loosely using this term does little good to those genuinely suffering from this condition. Uninformed reference to depression serves to rather desensitise people to this serious concern. What ought to be instead is that constructive steps to address this condition be normalised, not normalising this condition altogether. As per medical standards, major depressive disorder or clinical depression which is generally called just depression is a common but serious mood disorder and causes severe symptoms that affect how one feels, thinks, and handles daily activities, such as sleeping, eating, or working. To be diagnosed with depression, the symptoms must be present for at least two weeks. The biggest reason for this is the pressure to keep up to the expectations, of oneself and of others. Comedian-writer Tanmay Bhat is the latest to reveal that he is suffering from clinical depression and is worried he might never get back to being who he was , meaning being able to operate to one's potential. Last month, comedy group AIB had announced that Bhat will step down from the post of CEO. In a series of Instagram videos shared on Saturday, the comedian said he sometimes gets "super worried" thinking that his state of "paralysis is permanent"…"For most of my adult I life I worked at a company that I was trying to build. Letting the office go, all the people who worked with us, having to say good bye to that took a toll on me mentally and physically. Which finally came to a headway around the end of last year," he said. His state of mind points to the classic symptoms of depression: helplessness, hopelessness, worthlessness. In extreme cases, depression leads to suicide. There needs to be more than awareness and a system in place to address this mental monster collectively. No progress is worth it if it comes at the hefty cost one's own wellbeing.