Depression and its effects: a student’s take

Oluwatomike Bali
Staff Writer

Having experienced depression myself, I would say depression feels like carrying a very heavy burden, which seems like it would literally tear you apart and not go away.

Luckily for me I was able get out of my own depression but millions of people in America struggle with this and feel like they are alone.

This makes depression one of the most common mental disorders in this country. I never used to believe depression was a thing because I had never experienced it and I just thought people were looking for an escape route in not going through with their challenges and for the life of me, I would always talk down on the discussion whenever it was brought up around me.

But after experiencing it myself, I realized I was lucky enough to have been outspoken about mine and sought help and finally understood people who couldn’t take the steps I did and conquered my depression. 

Learning a deeper understanding of depression, I believe, can help begin the journey to recovery.

Depression is more than just a feeling of sadness, it is a mood disorder coupled with prolonged feeling of sadness and loss of interest in day to day activities.

Can this be treated? Absolutely. I think there is this myth that you have to deal with depression yourself and just work on it till it goes away. I am not saying that can’t work, but that is not the only way.

Treating depression should go hand in hand with a healthy diet and a good sleep schedule. You need to take care of your physical wellbeing to make any treatment effective.

Identify and acknowledge you have depression, seek help and don’t be silent. There is absolutely nothing to be ashamed of about depression. Go for therapy, seek medical assistance, in all you do, don’t feel the need to fight alone or stay quiet.

If you would like help or think you may have depression, you can go to the Counseling Center in room CSU 285 from 8am to 4:30pm or contact the Counseling Center at 507-389-1455 for more information. 

Feature photo courtesy of Flickr.