First, of all I have to start with a disclaimer, I’m not a medical expert nor an expert on this condition, I am just someone living with a loved one who has it, and has gained a bit of experience concerning the condition, and I am also concerned with the amount of ignorance of the condition amongst our people.
On the 31st of May 2018 I posted something on my social media platforms concerning depression trying to raise awareness after I lost a client who had the same condition, he attempted suicide twice & his family did not take him to see a psychiatrist just because they blamed evil spirits, so they took him to prophets, got prayed for, but the condition obviously did not go away, then he attempted suicide for the 3rd time and he passed away, and they still blamed evil spirits and what they called a spiritual attack. To date, I have lost two clients in the very same manner. Although I admit spirituality is there, I disagreed with the idea of not taking someone to see a medical specialist when they need one.
On Thursday 25 October 2018 I re-posted about depression when a popular South African hip hop artist passed away due to suicide he was said to have been suffering from depression for some time and it was left un-monitored. Besides having lost a client to depression I also opened up that my wife has also suffered from it since the year 2000, believe me, it’s not a walk in the park for both of us, our kids & everybody close to us.
Here is the definition so that someone might be aware & get help when it’s needed instead of rushing to blame evil spirits.
DEFINITION OF DEPRESSION:
It was previously known as melancholia and is now known as clinical depression, major depression, or simply depression and commonly referred to as major depressive disorder by many Health care professionals,
It is a psychiatric serious mood disorder that alters how individuals think, feel, and behave, that is why most people dismiss it as “kuzviitisa”.
What causes confusion on the word “depression “is that people use the word loosely, if one is feeling sad they can describe their mood as depression, but when it becomes a medical condition its different, the symptoms can include:
1: Mood swings, in this state he/she can accuse you of all weird things
including lack of love or even things like witchcraft. What makes it difficult is that with all those accusations thrown your way you still have to close your ears & love the person, that is where most people fail, but if you are married that is one of the “Through sickness & pain” tests
2:hallucinations: This is when the patient hears voices or sees things that only he can see. The most dangerous part of hallucinations is if the patient is religious or superstitious, in that case, the patient will believe it is God or spirits speaking to them and that alone can cause a lot of problems.
3: feelings of hopelessness, rejection (feeling no one loves you), this has contributed to the demise of many depression patients’ marriages and relationships.
4: poor concentration,
5: lack of energy,
6: sleep problems (one can go for more than a week without sleep),
7: suicidal thoughts.
Remember depression is not a choice; it is an illness that needs medical attention, it’s not a spiritual attack, do not be quick to believe some preachers,
The symptoms vary a lot, but if you notice very abnormal behavior, like abnormal mood swings, sleeplessness, hallucinations, suicidal thoughts, etc., go with the loved one to see a psychiatrist before you seek spiritual help.
If left unattended one can develop full-blown mental illness. If you have ever made time to speak to some of those people who eat from rubbish bins in town, you will notice that some of them sound very healthy mentally, in some cases, you will notice that some of them are just depression patients who just lacked love from family members.
The medication helps a lot, but also brings a hell of a lot of side effects, like sleeping a lot, it might alter how one walks & brings a total loss of sexual libido which can be tough for married people.
I am not an expert but this is how I can best explain it since I live with a loved one who has it, I had to do a lot of research & sat down a lot with her doctor so that I know how to help and live with her.
CLINICAL DEPRESSION IS NOT BOREDOM
MY first social media post on depression got a very big response, especially in my inbox. A number of people even re-posted it on their what’s app groups and other social media platforms which helped to raise more awareness
But it opened my eyes to 2 things
1: Because people use the word loosely to describe their boredom the majority of Zimbabweans get confused when depression is mentioned as a health issue, about 2 people went on to suggest that the whole of Zimbabwe is “suffering from depression “so how can someone be diagnosed with boredom as a health condition?. The answer is Clinical depression is totally 100% different from boredom, it is a serious condition that if it’s left untreated can result in a full-blown mental problem, some of those people who eat in bins I cities could be home if they were shown love & got treatment.
2: STIGMA & SPIRITUALISATION
Most depression patients who contacted me came to my inbox, they did not even want to post on the thread, they are facing a lot of stigma problems, and are tired of being taken to prophets and we all know how most of these prophets cause more problems especially with their love for accusing people of witchcraft, depression is not a spiritual problem. One woman says she thanks God that her husband understands because he once dated a girl who had the condition before he dated her, so he understands the problem.
So we need to raise awareness & help those in need, I repeat IT`S NOT A SPIRITUAL PROBLEM, stop passing on the responsibilities to prophets, visit a psychiatrist & seek help if u manage the condition well life goes on normally.
GOD IS ALSO THERE IN THE MEDICATION,
Speaking of people who avoid medical help in preference to spiritual help my advice is to stop faith-based stupidity. I have a loved one who accused me of lacking faith when I suggested they consider medical help when she fell sick.
I don’t know why some religious people think that getting medical attention is a lack of faith, it’s God who created all the ingredients that are used to create the medication, so
-God is there in the pills,
-God is there in the paracetamol,
-God is there in the injection
-God is there in the hospital because it’s also God who gives the doctors the wisdom, why would Paul advise Timothy to drink some wine because of his stomach pains? Why didn’t he just lay hands on him and pray?
I believe if you fall sick rush to the hospital & see a doctor who spent years studying health, don’t pay money for those so-called one-on-one sessions with the so-called prophets, I honestly think that they should be made illegal.
Without mentioning names a big faith healer in the USA told an epileptic lady to stop taking medication because he had prayed for her, her condition suddenly deteriorated whilst she was bathing, she drowned in the bathtub & died.
So do not avoid medical help, God is also there in the medication.
By Clive “Mono” Mukundu.
Zimbabwe guitarist & Music Producer