Everyday, more and more young people are given over to depression. Depression has become a mental illness that continues to ravage our society, even to the point of suicide. To better increase our chances of winning over depression, here are two things that we must know:

Depression is a MENTAL WAR and CHOICE

When it comes to depression, the first thing you need to know is that depression is a mental war. The only way to win is with a strong defence and an even stronger offence. Your mind is the battle field, your mental attitude/thought pattern is your only weapon and the negative circumstances we face in life is the enemy we must win over. If your thought pattern wins, you win. If we allow that circumstance win, depression happens.

Depression arises through a negative response towards life challenges. How you respond to situations around you depend solely on your thought pattern. That’s the heart of depression; THOUGHT PATTERNS!

Thought patterns produce feelings. Feelings produce actions. Therefore, any permanent reduction in depression, must of the highest necessity deal squarely with the problem of thought patterns. Unless a persons thought pattern changes, the struggle against depression can only remain a cycle.

Depression is the result of a war lost in the mind of a person. Like HIV, E No Dey Show For Face, until the critical stage is reached. Again, like HIV that goes unnoticed till it deteriorates to AIDS, except when tested, depression can go unnoticed until the depressed person starts to show physical symptoms, cuts oneself from life or worse, commits suicide. At suicide, there is no remedy for such a person.

Depression doesn’t always equals suicide.

Depression comes in stages. Counselors around the world have identified the three stages of depression as MILD, SEVER and SERIOUS. Some people run through these stages quickly, while others go through a drawn out war. Others do win over depression and do not get to the point where suicide becomes the lasting solution with no way to turn around.

With the number of young people who go unchecked through the stages of depression and ultimately find themselves committing suicide, there’s an even greater number

who are either about getting into depression, going to the second stage of depression or are just about to make the decision between life and death. This shows us that depression certainly doesn’t have to end in suicide.

In conclusion, depression is preventable. It is possible to win over it. It is very possible to prevent suicides because of depression. If only we can begin to push forward a positive mindset and a thought pattern that wins, we can prevent depression. If we ever spot depression in people we love, we can give them gentle nudges in the right direction of a better and healthier mental attitude and thought pattern towards life. Depression is a choice, and armed with a positive thought pattern, we must choose to win!

This article was written by Orobosa Ikponmwen; connect with her on IG here