Contents:
- Medical Video: Girl Behind the Mask || Spoken Word
- Depressed people can still smile, but ...
- What are the signs and symptoms of depression that you need to watch out for?
- Hiding depression behind laughter and smile can increase the risk of suicide
- What are the treatment options?
Medical Video: Girl Behind the Mask || Spoken Word
A smile can save a thousand meanings. Not all smiles signify happiness. For certain people, a smile on his face is a way to hide the symptoms of depression that he has.
Depressed people can still smile, but ...
Depressive symptoms are often described as people who are lethargic, always moping, difficult to concentrate, and unproductive. However, some people who have depression can look normal and move as usual, as if everything is fine even though you are just undergoing a routine without direction. Symptoms of depression are not very obvious because they are veiled or covered by overall normal behavior in everyday life.
So, maybe the person can stay at work or school, while covering up his depression with the smile he displays. The smile can also be a way for him to look like most "normal people".
In some cultures or families, negative labels for mental health disorders can also affect this. For example, some people think that expressing emotions is a way to "get attention" or as a sign of weakness, so that depressed people choose to hide it.
In addition, the smile on the person's face can also be a "shield" for him to protect himself from the nosy questions of people around him, when one day he saw it look more quiet and moody - "Ah, I'm fine! Hahaha ... Just another bad mood! " Everyone has their own hopes for ourselves to be better or stronger. However, sometimes that hope is not in accordance with reality, so you may be more likely to want to hide your feelings.
What are the signs and symptoms of depression that you need to watch out for?
Symptoms of depression can appear different in one person and the other. Some people have vague symptoms that seem normal or fine, but secretly suffer from chronic depression.
That is why it is sometimes difficult to diagnose depression. However, each person can actually recognize the signs.
The most common symptoms of depression are:
- Changes in appetite, weight, and sleep patterns (like waking up at midnight; difficulty sleeping; always having nightmares).
- Feelings of despair, despair.
- Feel no self-respect.
- Feeling low self-esteem.
- Do not want to do things that have been liked.
- The inner atmosphere is uncertain and not peaceful.
- Always anxious in dealing with various things, even though this is trivial for most people.
- There is a constant feeling of sadness or anger for no apparent reason.
- Easy to get tired during physical activity.
- The body always feels weak, lackluster, powerless.
Even so, some people can hide these symptoms behind the mask of their bright faces. So, it's not impossible if some people who have depression can still actively work or go to school, have a good social life with people around, and look happy.
Hiding depression behind laughter and smile can increase the risk of suicide
The smile and laughter shown might act as a "shield" so that he does not show symptoms of depression in front of many people thus exposing his "weakness". The smile can also mean he does not want to burden anyone with the conditions he is experiencing.
It might also mean as a "punishment" for yourself, because "there are still many other people who suffer more from me, then what do I have to complain about?"
Even so, this smile mask will detach itself when the person in question is already in solitude. Because he has no way to share and vent his emotions, people who hide his depression tend to have a higher risk of suicide.
In fact, the "motivation" he gets from that smile can encourage him to be more determined to carry out the plan, compared to people with major depression who feel they want to commit suicide but sometimes don't have the energy to act.
What are the treatment options?
Depression can be overcome by medical treatment, psychotherapy, lifestyle changes, or a combination of all these things. The most important step to treating symptoms of depression is to open yourself to someone around you who believes.
If you experience the symptoms above, immediately consult a doctor or psychologist. The faster the depression is detected and treated, the higher the chance of recovery.
