Friday, April 28, 2006

The signs of depression- got to fight it away

I was awake very early Wednesday morning, around six plus? Perhaps it is the early lights of spring, perhaps it is the noise that my housemates make. But my main concern was;
Is this another sign of depression creeping in?

I had battled depression before. I battled this “demon”, that almost took my life. At the “height” of the fight with my depression, every window seemed to be telling me that I would end all pains by turning open the lock, push the grills aside, and climb over. Every window in my 12th floor flat would be inviting me. When I walk along the corridor, the temptation could get really strong, particularly when I was waiting for the lift on the 12th floor lobby. It was really scary what creeps in when you lose hope. There seem to be an invisible pair of hands which just want to pull you down.

I had since learned to recognise the first signs of depression-Waking up earlier than usual. If you wake up before the alarm clock rings, even though you are tired, it is a warning. It is one of the first signs of depression.

The scary thing about depression is many people are not aware that they are depressed. They just thought that they are maybe bugged with something recently, not in a best mood, that is all. That is when it is most dangerous.

Recognising early awakening as a symptom is very important. Once, my friend who is a senior registered nurse was just telling me about her early get-ups, and she did not know what to do. What she desperately wanted was more sleep. I did not suspect depression, but just told her matter of factly that this happened to be a sign of depression.

Later that day, she told me that I was spot on. She could be in depression, and “silly things” like crossing the road when the red man is on floated through her mind recently. She managed to get out of it, slowly, after we sat down and identified all the problems, and things that could be done to help her.

Recognise early signs of depression, it helps you get out of it before it is too late.

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