World Health Day
April 7 2017, today, is World Health Day.
In recent times, the spate of suicides have increased. Some have made jokes of these incidents, which really is in bad taste. Others have dismissed them and religious bodies, some, have laid more burden on already burdened people, lashing out with thunder and brimstone on the sin of suicide. Get me right, I'm not an advocate of suicides, I don't support it either. However, I empathize with those who have ever thought of it as a way out.
The theme of the day, this year, is Depression. Such an apt time to discuss and beam the spotlight on this issue.
Dateline: December 3, 2012.
I had had enough. Having endured, at that time, four years of terrible emotional and physical pain, I got up that day and decided enough was finally enough. I cried my eyes out, regretting the day I took the step that had landed me in the quagmire I was in. I wasn't going to complicate matters and take my own life, so I prayed hard, tears running down my face and asked God to take life out of me when I lay down. I didn't want to wake up the next day. But I needed the world, nay, those close to me, to have a peep into why I sought 'assisted suicide', if I can call it that. So I whipped out my phone and composed a mail, explaining as much as my muddled mind could. Including my passwords and some other personal details that may be needed after I was gone, I sent the mail to a trusted friend for safe-keeping. I told him to share it with those that mattered after I was gone.
His response was very unexpected. First, he laughed. He had to call me because it was geographically impossible for us to see. He asked how I intended to kill myself and i told him I had prayed and begged God really hard to take me out of that situation. I told him I was sure God had heard me and would grant my request. It was a long call. He talked with me, joked with me, sang to me, prayed with me and kept me on the line till he was sure I was in better control of my thoughts and emotions. Then he asked me to take a picture of myself and send to him. I took that picture. Anytime I look at it, it reminds me of the day having someone to talk to changed the course I was so set on. Would God have answered my prayer? I don't know. If He hadn't, would I have taken matters into my own hands? With the state I was in at that time, I honestly cannot tell.
Suicides don't just happen. Something or many things, interlinked, lead to it. At the base of these things is depression. How many really understand what depression is? How many know the true state of their mental health? There's a lot of concentration on physical health, but mental? What do we define mental illness as?
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), mental health is defined as a state of well-being in which every individual realizes his or her own potential, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to her or his community.
The positive dimension of mental health is
stressed in WHO's definition of health as contained in its constitution: "Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity."
We need to self-evaluate, to determine if we truly are healthy. As a people, we need to understand that mental health is central to our functionality as humans. We need to come to the realization that too many people than are willing to admit, are suffering from a mental illness or another. We need to join hands to help each other out. Sometimes, all that is needed is a listening ear. Sometimes, all that would save a life is a pat on the back. Sometimes, what would tip someone over the edge is a careless word said at the wrong time.
The discuss has just started. Let's take it farther. The more people can be reached, the better. I'll be taking a series on mental health issues as the days go by.
Talk to someone today. Hold your tongue. Watch your action. Refer someone to help. Help cushion the effect of the limes thrown in the way of some.
Let's join hands to reduce the spate of depression.
In recent times, the spate of suicides have increased. Some have made jokes of these incidents, which really is in bad taste. Others have dismissed them and religious bodies, some, have laid more burden on already burdened people, lashing out with thunder and brimstone on the sin of suicide. Get me right, I'm not an advocate of suicides, I don't support it either. However, I empathize with those who have ever thought of it as a way out.
The theme of the day, this year, is Depression. Such an apt time to discuss and beam the spotlight on this issue.
Dateline: December 3, 2012.
I had had enough. Having endured, at that time, four years of terrible emotional and physical pain, I got up that day and decided enough was finally enough. I cried my eyes out, regretting the day I took the step that had landed me in the quagmire I was in. I wasn't going to complicate matters and take my own life, so I prayed hard, tears running down my face and asked God to take life out of me when I lay down. I didn't want to wake up the next day. But I needed the world, nay, those close to me, to have a peep into why I sought 'assisted suicide', if I can call it that. So I whipped out my phone and composed a mail, explaining as much as my muddled mind could. Including my passwords and some other personal details that may be needed after I was gone, I sent the mail to a trusted friend for safe-keeping. I told him to share it with those that mattered after I was gone.
Suicides don't just happen. Something or many things, interlinked, lead to it. At the base of these things is depression. How many really understand what depression is? How many know the true state of their mental health? There's a lot of concentration on physical health, but mental? What do we define mental illness as?
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), mental health is defined as a state of well-being in which every individual realizes his or her own potential, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully, and is able to make a contribution to her or his community.
The positive dimension of mental health is
We need to self-evaluate, to determine if we truly are healthy. As a people, we need to understand that mental health is central to our functionality as humans. We need to come to the realization that too many people than are willing to admit, are suffering from a mental illness or another. We need to join hands to help each other out. Sometimes, all that is needed is a listening ear. Sometimes, all that would save a life is a pat on the back. Sometimes, what would tip someone over the edge is a careless word said at the wrong time.
The discuss has just started. Let's take it farther. The more people can be reached, the better. I'll be taking a series on mental health issues as the days go by.
Talk to someone today. Hold your tongue. Watch your action. Refer someone to help. Help cushion the effect of the limes thrown in the way of some.
Let's join hands to reduce the spate of depression.
Credits: World Health Organization, Google
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