Coil: Depression : Let’s talk in Guyana
by Vidyaratha Kissoon
The articulate Pandit at the Navratri service said he wanted to talk about depression and Navratri.
He had been introduced as very knowledgeable.
I was curious to hear if the Pandit had any alternative ways of invoking Hindu theology to help manage a mental health issue.
The Pandit’s prescription seemed to be to pray to the Divine Mother in her various forms. The Pandit seemed to understand depression as a kind of sadness or unhappiness which could easily go away if people learned to be happy. Many persons share this view.
The Pandit did not talk about seeking medical attention.
I thought of another brilliant Pandit, another time, who was conducting amazing satsanghs during a period of personal crisis. He had told me that he had resorted to self-medicating as he had no access to help at the time. He has since managed to recover from that period. His healing was made possible through a mix of medications and spiritual experiences.
“Black Dog”, darkness,
World Health Day – 7 April 2017 will have a theme Depression : Let’s Talk.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO,) “Depression is an illness characterized by persistent sadness and a loss of interest in activities that you normally enjoy, accompanied by an inability to carry out daily activities, for at least two weeks. In addition, people with depression normally have several of the following symptoms: a loss of energy; a change in appetite; sleeping more or less; anxiety; reduced concentration; indecisiveness; restlessness; feelings of worthlessness, guilt, or hopelessness; and thoughts of self-harm or suicide. “
Talking requires words and language so that people can understand.
‘Depressed’ is often used when people feel the normal sadness or heaviness which might be
associated with some life event. The normal sadness is not permanent.. Many people would talk about watching comedies or hanging out with nice friends or listening to music as a way of recovering from this sadness.
Depression, the illness, is associated with longer periods of feeling sad, or feeling numb or heavy. It can cause disability and as the definition notes, in extreme cases, suicide. Different people who are suffering from depression have different experiences.
The WHO has a video in which a man compares depression to a black dog. He explains that there are times when the dog is a huge monster which keeps him down.
There are some comments on the video that dogs, unlike depression, are helpful for many people. Dogs have helped people with depression and other mental illnesses.
I have compared managing depression to pushing aside dark clouds or stumbling through dark clouds. Others have talked about darkness.
There are different experiences and feelings. Many people who manage depression can also find periods of joy and happiness. Many people could function in social interactions. There is no one story and hence it makes depression difficult to pin down like say, belly wuk or ‘flu’.
“What you have to be depressed about? “
One of the difficulties about trying to explain the feelings around depression is the response ‘but you lucky, you aint got nuttin to worry about, why you depressed?” or ‘You aint gat chick nor chile, what wrong wid you”
Depression, the illness, can be caused by different things. Depression can be linked to diabetes and other physical illnesses. Depression can be a side effect of some types of medication. In the Sunday Chronicle of April 2 2017, Caitlin Vieira wrote about post-partum depression
There are links between poor diet and depression
Some persons might realise there are triggers for episodes and learn to avoid the triggers. Triggers can be environmental. According to the WHO, “the risk of becoming depressed is increased by poverty, unemployment, life events such as the death of a loved one or a relationship break-up, physical illness and problems caused by alcohol and drug use.”
“Listening”
According to the World Health Organisation, talk therapy is one of the ways in which depression can be treated. (The other ways are combining talk with medication, or medication alone)
Talking about the experience with depression requires a good listener. There are persons who do not want to talk about their mental illnesses because of the stigma attached to the illness. The consequences can be badc – losing friends and other social connections , losing work or access to livelihoods and being shamed about the illness.
Talking for healing requires empathy and empathy in my experience, has to be developed as a trait.
Listening is a skill. I have started to talk to persons and then shut down when I realise that prescriptions are coming, or that I am being judged. Or that I am boring people who had said I could talk to them about anything.
A man told me of ‘trying’ two therapists in Guyana. He said they were nice people, but he was not getting the responses he needed. There was no register he could consult to find another except the referral of people.
He resumed his medication which he said has helped. His doctor told him she has seen many persons come in with different mental health disorders. The doctor is not offering talk therapy.
Other people are exclusively on medication without any talk therapy. One of the problems about seeking professional treatment in Guyana is that there are no guidelines, no register or database of persons who are qualified to offer the treatment for depression.
A young man , an atheist, has used yoga recently to survive his mental health problems. He is positive about the yoga helping him to get through his routines. He had to find this help on his own . He also has to deal with complex family relationships which intensify his mental health problems.
There might be other persons who have had different experiences with surviving depression. In talking about depression, those experiences will contribute to the body of knowledge about how people get through in Guyana.
So as we approach World Health Day, and try to talk about depression, I hope that :-
“Woodlands Hospital: Outpatient Department
Drug and Alcohol group meetings – Mondays 4:15
Good mental health group meetings- Wednesdays 4:15
Suicide Prevention Helpline numbers: 223-0001, 223-0009, 623-4444, 600-7896
“
The articulate Pandit at the Navratri service said he wanted to talk about depression and Navratri.
He had been introduced as very knowledgeable.
I was curious to hear if the Pandit had any alternative ways of invoking Hindu theology to help manage a mental health issue.
The Pandit’s prescription seemed to be to pray to the Divine Mother in her various forms. The Pandit seemed to understand depression as a kind of sadness or unhappiness which could easily go away if people learned to be happy. Many persons share this view.
The Pandit did not talk about seeking medical attention.
I thought of another brilliant Pandit, another time, who was conducting amazing satsanghs during a period of personal crisis. He had told me that he had resorted to self-medicating as he had no access to help at the time. He has since managed to recover from that period. His healing was made possible through a mix of medications and spiritual experiences.
“Black Dog”, darkness,
World Health Day – 7 April 2017 will have a theme Depression : Let’s Talk.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO,) “Depression is an illness characterized by persistent sadness and a loss of interest in activities that you normally enjoy, accompanied by an inability to carry out daily activities, for at least two weeks. In addition, people with depression normally have several of the following symptoms: a loss of energy; a change in appetite; sleeping more or less; anxiety; reduced concentration; indecisiveness; restlessness; feelings of worthlessness, guilt, or hopelessness; and thoughts of self-harm or suicide. “
Talking requires words and language so that people can understand.
‘Depressed’ is often used when people feel the normal sadness or heaviness which might be
associated with some life event. The normal sadness is not permanent.. Many people would talk about watching comedies or hanging out with nice friends or listening to music as a way of recovering from this sadness.
Depression, the illness, is associated with longer periods of feeling sad, or feeling numb or heavy. It can cause disability and as the definition notes, in extreme cases, suicide. Different people who are suffering from depression have different experiences.
The WHO has a video in which a man compares depression to a black dog. He explains that there are times when the dog is a huge monster which keeps him down.
There are some comments on the video that dogs, unlike depression, are helpful for many people. Dogs have helped people with depression and other mental illnesses.
I have compared managing depression to pushing aside dark clouds or stumbling through dark clouds. Others have talked about darkness.
There are different experiences and feelings. Many people who manage depression can also find periods of joy and happiness. Many people could function in social interactions. There is no one story and hence it makes depression difficult to pin down like say, belly wuk or ‘flu’.
“What you have to be depressed about? “
One of the difficulties about trying to explain the feelings around depression is the response ‘but you lucky, you aint got nuttin to worry about, why you depressed?” or ‘You aint gat chick nor chile, what wrong wid you”
Depression, the illness, can be caused by different things. Depression can be linked to diabetes and other physical illnesses. Depression can be a side effect of some types of medication. In the Sunday Chronicle of April 2 2017, Caitlin Vieira wrote about post-partum depression
There are links between poor diet and depression
Some persons might realise there are triggers for episodes and learn to avoid the triggers. Triggers can be environmental. According to the WHO, “the risk of becoming depressed is increased by poverty, unemployment, life events such as the death of a loved one or a relationship break-up, physical illness and problems caused by alcohol and drug use.”
“Listening”
According to the World Health Organisation, talk therapy is one of the ways in which depression can be treated. (The other ways are combining talk with medication, or medication alone)
Talking about the experience with depression requires a good listener. There are persons who do not want to talk about their mental illnesses because of the stigma attached to the illness. The consequences can be badc – losing friends and other social connections , losing work or access to livelihoods and being shamed about the illness.
Talking for healing requires empathy and empathy in my experience, has to be developed as a trait.
Listening is a skill. I have started to talk to persons and then shut down when I realise that prescriptions are coming, or that I am being judged. Or that I am boring people who had said I could talk to them about anything.
A man told me of ‘trying’ two therapists in Guyana. He said they were nice people, but he was not getting the responses he needed. There was no register he could consult to find another except the referral of people.
He resumed his medication which he said has helped. His doctor told him she has seen many persons come in with different mental health disorders. The doctor is not offering talk therapy.
Other people are exclusively on medication without any talk therapy. One of the problems about seeking professional treatment in Guyana is that there are no guidelines, no register or database of persons who are qualified to offer the treatment for depression.
A young man , an atheist, has used yoga recently to survive his mental health problems. He is positive about the yoga helping him to get through his routines. He had to find this help on his own . He also has to deal with complex family relationships which intensify his mental health problems.
There might be other persons who have had different experiences with surviving depression. In talking about depression, those experiences will contribute to the body of knowledge about how people get through in Guyana.
So as we approach World Health Day, and try to talk about depression, I hope that :-
- people understand the difference between depression the illness, and being depressed – the temporary sadness or feeling down
- the Ministry of Public Health lists the resources available throughout Guyana where people can find treatment – talk therapy and medication
- the Ministry of Public Health lets the public know what patients should expect from the health care professionals and therapists
- Guyanese who are dealing with depression can find healthy ways to treat it
- we find ways to build up communities which support rather than shun persons dealing with depression and other mental illnesses
“Woodlands Hospital: Outpatient Department
Drug and Alcohol group meetings – Mondays 4:15
Good mental health group meetings- Wednesdays 4:15
Suicide Prevention Helpline numbers: 223-0001, 223-0009, 623-4444, 600-7896
“
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