Suicide and Depression
In contemporary society, depression and suicide are one of the leading causes of death among people. The issues of suicide and depression are immensely interrelated. Every sixteen minutes, a person commits suicide because of depression and hopelessness in their life. Suicide is one of the most common causes of death in the world because of depression. A person is so depressed, hopeless, and dejected from life that he takes his own life. Unfortunately, society has attached negative stigmas and negative societal reactions towards patients with mental illnesses such as depression, which causes people to take their own lives rather than receive psychotherapy sessions. This research essay tends to shed light on the grave significance of people fighting depression without any familial or medical assistance, which causes them to commit suicide. Furthermore, it also emphasizes the necessity to devise new awareness campaigns and strategies to fight depression and suicide.
Depression can be understood as a mental trauma or mental disorder, if not treated timely, which causes the person to take his/her own life. According to Levine’s research study, suicide is known as an essential health problem which requires immediate attention from psychologists and psychotherapists to address this psychological health problem (Levine, 2008). Regardless of accelerating awareness campaigns and strategies devised for mental health care services, only one-third part of the population seeks treatment for their mental problems/ illness from psychological professionals (Andrews et al. 2001). The major reason for this decrease is the societal stigmas and negative reactions from society for such individuals (suffering from depression/ mental illness), which creates a barrier to seeking medical help from psychological professionals. These social stigmas create barriers between the individual (suffering from depression) and his family. The person distances himself from his family and friends, which inflicts more vulnerable situations upon the individual. The person who is suffering from depression does not share his psychological complexities with anyone because of the fear of getting labelled as a mentally ill person. The family plays a significant role in tending to the individual suffering from depression. If the family does not get to know about the mental issue of the person, then the psychologist cannot be appointed to provide medical intervention. Therefore, family members should pay immense attention to small hints and signs which indicate a person is suffering from any mental issue, especially depression. The major sign of a person with depression is that he isolates himself and becomes introverted. If a family timely intervenes and counsels the suffering individual or takes him/her to a psychological professional, countless lives can be saved from the dreaded horrors of suicide. When such people who are suffering from anxiety and depression do not seek medical help from psychologists, they end up taking their lives.
In a nutshell, suicide and depression require immense attention from the family, society, and medical professionals to break down the social stigmas associated with mental illnesses. The suicide ratio is increasing day by day, and the main cause is mental depression. However, social/medical interventions are not able to cope with this rising problem. Therefore, awareness campaigns and strategies are required to address such pertinent issues of depression and suicide to encourage people to recognize and acknowledge mental health issues like depression and the medical treatment for such issues to decrease the suicide ratio.
References
Andrews, G., Issakidis, C., & Carter, G. (2001). Shortfall in mental health service utilisation. The British Journal of Psychiatry, 179(5), 417-425.
Levine, H. (2008). Suicide and its impact on campus. New Directions for Student Services, 2008(121), 63-76.
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