Depression is a common, serious mental illness that has profound effects on people's lives. It is caused by many factors, including genetic predisposition and environmental influences. Depression makes people feel sad, tired and unable to sleep or eat normally.
They might even lose interest in things they used to enjoy earlier on in life; some people with depression even take their own lives due to this mental illness.
Now, I want to make something very clear: you do not need to be a doctor or therapist in order to give advice. You don't even need to have personal experience with what it's like for someone who is depressed. If there was one thing that my parents taught me growing up, it's that we can each choose how we react to situations and people around us—and no one else has any right to tell us otherwise.
As long as your parents are receptive and open-minded (and they should be), then by all means share your experiences with them! Even if they're not able to relate directly, they'll understand what depression feels like on an emotional level when they hear about yours firsthand.
I have a few friends who went through depression; though not to the point of suicide, it was serious enough to require a therapist's help. I personally have never been depressed myself, but I've known people who have suffered from it and it can be treated just as any other physical illness would be. With medication and therapy, you can go back to living your life as if nothing happened.
Depression can also be treated without seeking professional help: there are tons of support groups online where people share their experiences with different kinds of mental illnesses like depression or anxiety disorders. These groups are usually anonymous so you don't have to worry about anyone knowing what's wrong with you—just make sure that if someone does recognize your username from somewhere else (like school), then let them know about what's going on so they don't think something bad has happened because they haven't heard from you lately!
Depression is a serious illness. If there is any chance that the depression may lead to suicide, do not hesitate to seek medical advice immediately. Talking to someone who understands your situation can help you feel better.
Suicide is never the answer - even when you feel like your life isn't worth living, it's important to remember that things will get better eventually and it would be a waste if they didn't because of something so permanent as taking your own life. You will get through this!
Let your parents know that you want to talk about something important, and ask them if they'd prefer to discuss it now or at another time.
Be prepared for a negative reaction, but don't let it get you down. Don't blame yourself or others for their reactions. If you're feeling upset or angry at this point, let them know and ask them to empathize with how hard this must be for you. Tell them what their support means and how much it would mean to have their support when dealing with depression in the future (if possible).
You could start a conversation with them and discuss depression, its causes and symptoms, treatment options — which may or may not include medication — and how common it is.
This will help them understand what you are going through as well as provide some relief to your parents that you have taken an active step towards managing your depression.
Tell them that one should not feel guilty about having depression as there are many external factors (environmental, genetic and societal) that lead one to having depression.
Depression is a serious condition and needs professional help. Medication, therapy, and other forms of treatment are available to help control mood swings and other symptoms of depression. Depression is commonly treated with antidepressant medication and counseling.
If you're going through depression, talk to someone about it: your parents, friends or even a doctor.
If you have a hard time bringing up the topic of depression with your parents, there are a few things you can do to make it easier:
So, how do you let your parents know about your depression?
Depression can make almost any question difficult to answer. If you're not sure how to tell them and are still figuring out the best way to do it, then we can help. We've already covered some of the most important steps in our article above, but here's one more thing worth mentioning: try writing down what happened before getting into any conversations with family members. That way they'll have as much information as possible when talking with their children or other loved ones suffering from mental illness.
In conclusion: Hey! If you enjoyed reading it, drop a comment below! We love your feedback. It was really fun putting together all these thoughts about how to talk about mental illness with Indian parents - especially since I'm also an immigrant myself. If there's anything else you'd like us to cover in future articles (like maybe something related to immigration), please let us know on Twitter or Facebook!
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