In the line of serious blog posts, I include this one... We've all felt "down", demoralized, less interested or oppressed by our reality. It's not indicative of depression or an irreversible condition, but it's important as a student to know your limits and know how to take care of your mental health. In this article, we won't try to turn you into a doctor or psychologist, but we'll give you the keys to better listening to yourself.
Facts and nothing but facts
Let's start with a statistic: ⅕. Yes, you'll tell me "numbers, always numbers. But are they reliable?This one comes from the Institut de la statistique du Québec, so I tend to trust them when it comes to numbers. That's why I wanted to bring this reality to your attention: one adult in five in Quebec suffers from a mental illness, whether diagnosed or not.
Far be it from me to scare you or make you distrust all your friends, but it's a fact. All too often, the term mental illness is given a negative, pejorative dimension, and wrongly so. Do you even know what mental illness is, or what depression is? Here it is, just so you know:
"Depression is a mental illness that affects a person's mood, the way they feel. Mood influences people's perception of themselves, their relationships with others and their interaction with the surrounding world. It's much more than "having a bad day" or "brooding".."
Information VS stigma
Freshly copied from Google, this definition is intended to shed some light on depression, a condition that can affect anyone at any time in their life. As a student, how many times have you been able to identify with the above description? I'll let you count... If it's all temporary and lasts only a short time, it's no big deal, but if it's a state that lasts, that makes you suffer or that leads to your social isolation, think about it.
A mental illness is first and foremost an illness, and you shouldn't be ashamed of it - it's not your fault, and you're the person who suffers most from it. Besides, when I feel pain anywhere, I go to the doctor. Don't you? Well, it's exactly the same for anything to do with the psyche. We're all tempted to say "I'll deal with it myself" or "I'm not crazy, so why should I go and see a doctor? As far as I know, you're not trying to heal a fractured pelvis yourself, and you're not deaf, yet that doesn't stop you from consulting a doctor if you have an ear infection or something else. Why do you always wait when it comes to this sort of thing?
Symptoms of all kinds
As with all illnesses, there are symptoms, and depression is no different. I guess you've been looking forward to them, so here they are:
- physiological signs: recurring headaches, backaches and stomach aches. Depression can also lead to an increase or loss of appetite. Likewise, a person suffering from depression may be overly agitated, or have slower-than-average movements.
- psychological signs: mood swings, gloomy thoughts, low self-esteem, loss of interest, sleep disorders (sleeping too little or too much).
Invaluable help
If, however, you still have doubts about your state of mental health, but still want to reassure yourself, you can find a ton of tests on the Internet. Yes, there are tests for everything, but this one is really important. You'll find them under names like "depression screening test", for example. It only takes a few clicks and is 100% discreet if you want to remain anonymous. Then, if this test or your mental situation points towards depression, you have a number of resources at your disposal, such as :
- psychologists or psychiatrists at your university
- all psychologists of the Ordre des psychologues du Québec
- psychotherapists, etc.
You're spoilt for choice, and if you're really uncomfortable, I'd advise you to listen to one of the best people you can: your friends, family and colleagues. TALKING is already a big step, putting words to what's going on for you is the main key to any remedy. And as I really don't want anything to happen to you, I'm leaving you an emergency number in case of psychological distress: it's 1 800 257 0088. So I'll conclude with a catchphrase, but one that feels good: take care of yourself.
