Sonera focuses on understanding the dangers of depression. Our lives are colored by numerous textures of feeling from deep joy to being down in the dumps

1. Depression
Understanding the Dangers of Depression
Our lives are colored by numerous textures of feeling ranging from deep joy to being down in
the dumps with many shades of grey in between. It is but natural to feel sad at the death of a
loved one, or to be melancholic to be leaving a familiar place or to be upset when we have
disagreements with people or get laid off from work.
In fact, there are many instances in life where we feel the blues and this is but natural.
However, what is not psychologically healthy is to remain in a perpetual state of dysphoria,
which could be described as a “profound state of dis-ease, unhappiness and dissatisfaction,”
day in and day out.
According to the DSM V, the following symptoms would help you identify Persistent
Depressive Disorder (Dysthymia) in yourself or a loved one:
1. Depressed mood for most of the day, for more days than not, as indicated by either
subjective or observation by others
2. Poor appetite or overeating
3. Insomnia or hypersomnia
4. Low energy or fatigue
5. Low self esteem
6. Poor concentration or difficulty making decisions
7. Feelings of hopelessness
If a person embodies having a “depressed mood for most of the day” with two or more other
symptoms one can be said to be clinically depression therapist in mumbai. Being clinically
depressed, in turn, will have negative consequences on one’s health, wellbeing, relationships,
work, productivity and bring down the overall quality of one’s life. Research has shown, that
high levels of the stress hormone cortisol have been found in the blood stream of people who
identified being depressed, this in turn reduces immune function and makes any pre-existing
medical disorder worse or may perhaps even create new ones. What we can gauge from this
is that depressed people are more likely to be easily stressed and in turn, people who have a
low threshold to stress are more susceptible to becoming depressed.
If an individual is in an intimate relationship or has small children their having depression
would impact their loved one’s in very harmful ways where there is a diminishing of real
interpersonal contact and closeness since the depressed person is no longer present to
anything other than overwhelming feelings of sadness. Spouses of depressed individuals
report very low relationship satisfaction as depressions gnaws away at the fabric of intimacy
where emotional connection, sexuality and simply having fun together is greatly reduced or
becomes non-existent Studies have also shown that children of depressed people have a
higher risk of being depressed themselves, as well as a vulnerability to having addictions and
exhibit behavioural disorders.
It is extremely harmful to the self and to one’s loved ones to ignore constant negative
ruminations and feelings about one’s life, as they could transition from being pathological to
fatal, where individuals driven by disturbing thoughts and emotions could end up taking their

2. life. Another alarming point regarding depression is that it has a propensity to recur once a
person has suffered from it before. Since depression, in essence, is a thinking dis-ease, which
is premised on habitual negative thinking, perceiving and evaluating one’s self and the world,
this in turn creates neural pathways in the brain, literally grooves in our psyche, which get
easily activated when certain triggers are present. Over a period of time, even small mundane
disappointments may set off disproportionate feelings of anguish and hopelessness.
Although, ironically, depression is extremely common, with 20 percent of the population
suffering from it at any given time; literally, perhaps one in every five people experiences
depression, it remains unfortunately, ignored, undetected and untreated. While awareness is
increasing regarding the importance of mental health globally, in India, historically and
perhaps even to some extent today, psychological issues have been ignorantly stigmatized.
Individuals are made to feel ashamed of themselves for having life traumas and upheavals
and are marginalized for seeking help. Contemporarily, this is a very unfortunate set of
circumstances, as historically in ancient India, dukkha was greatly acknowledged by all
philosophical traditions, and especially, highlighted by the ultimate healer and therapist,
Gautama Buddha who stated that “Life is suffering.”
If you or anyone close to you is depressed it is extremely important that you seek professional
psychotherapist in mumbai attention, while exercise, yoga, meditation and good nutrition are
useful adjuncts and supports, what the depressed person really needs is a facilitation to
cognitively re-frame and dis-identify with negative thoughts while developing the ability to
tolerate distress and work though disturbing affect, which, unfortunately, does not happen
automatically or with family support.