By Professor Elias Chakabwata
Depression is one of the most common types of mental health conditions and often develops alongside anxiety .
Depression affects mood , behaviour , energy and many other aspects of a human being .
Researchers don’t know the exact cause of depression .They think that several factors contribute to its development,including :
Brain chemistry, genetics ,medication and stressful life events .
Of late the news headlines have been awash with issues of people commiting suicide .
Let us look at the signs and symptoms of depression .These vary from person to person :
Feelings of sadness, tearfulness, emptiness or hopelessness
• Anger outbursts, irritability or frustration, even over small matters
• Loss of interest or pleasure in most or all normal activities, such as sex, hobbies or sports
• Insomnia or sleeping too much
• Tiredness and lack of energy, so even small tasks take extra effort
• Changes in appetite — reduced appetite and weight loss or increased cravings for food and
weight gain
• Anxiety, agitation or restlessness
• Slowed thinking, speaking or body movements
• Feelings of worthlessness or guilt, fixating on past failures or blaming yourself for things that
aren’t your responsibility
• Trouble thinking, concentrating, making decisions and remembering things
• Frequent or recurrent mention of death, suicidal thoughts, suicide attempts or suicide
• Unexplained physical problems, such as back pain or headaches.
People with depression are at an increased risk of suicide. If your loved one is severely depressed,
prepare yourself for the possibility that at some point he or she may feel suicidal. Take all signs of
suicidal behavior seriously and act immediately.
Take action if necessary:
• Talk to the person about your concern. Ask if he or she has been thinking about attempting
suicide or has a plan for how to do it. Having an actual plan indicates a higher likelihood of
attempting suicide.
• Seek help. Contact the person’s doctor, mental health provider or other health care
professional. Let other family members or close friends know what’s going on.
• Make sure the person is in a safe environment. If possible, eliminate things that could be
used to attempt suicide. For example, remove or lock up firearms, other weapons and
medications.
Get help from professional counsellors .
In Zimbabwe we are losing talent at a very alarming rate because of the issue of suicide which in most cases is attributed to severe depression.
If you are experiencing some of the things the writer mentioned above it is time to seek help .Talk to a friend , religious leader , workmate or any other person you are comfortable to share with issues of life .Get help early .Zimbabwe needs you .Your family needs you .
The sad reality is that the Issue is affecting all sections of society including spiritual leaders , the rich and the popular , those struggling to make ends meet and those who are still at school .Action is required and it is required now .
The writer would like to suggest trainings for various people in leadership positions eg heads of institutions and human resource officers on the signs of depression and how to manage and help others .If the trainings were being done , there is need to double the effort and revisit the curriculum so that we scratch were it is itching .
The writer would like to respectfully submit that self help projects should be encouraged right from high school through to those who are in retirement .
Further more for those who lead in Churches there is need for proper training in relationship to the issues under discussion so that they don’t always blame the spirits for everything.While it is true that there are forces that are at work in the world , it is also important to know how to deal with the physical realm which includes issues of depression .
Agreed there can be evil powers that may cause people to be suicidal ,one needs to also explore ways of empowering the person to deal with those spirits or voices hence the balance that the writer is vehemently gunning for .
At times taking days off work may also help .For example one may be experiencing burn out and unless they take a break the situation may worsen .Church leaders are found wanting on this one most of the times .Some don’t take time away from the pulpit to refresh and reflect hence they end up getting trapped in the jaws of depression and worse still if they interpret this depression as a spiritual attack the whole matter becomes complicated .
Professor Elias Chakabwata is the President of Impact Training Institute which train professional courses and coach people for self development and growth .He can be contacted on 0784288687 .or via www.impacttraininginstitute.co.zw
