Saturday was as usual busy day . As I visit Prabahdevi clinic on this day , I was busy with back to back consultation . Ziva(Name changed ) girl aged 14 knocked the door.She was looking tensed and lost . I asked her “How are you ?”, But instead of Ziva her mother replied .”Nothing happened doctor . But she doesn’t want to do anything . She is doing drama only . She was bright student and topper . But she scored only 45% in the last exam . Its very shameful .” Her reaction was shocking for me . I calm down her and talked to Ziva . She was bright student and single child. As she was excellent in her academics she used to get attention , praise from her parents, family and teacher . She get habitual to it and was not ready to face any rejection . As a teenager , she fell in love with a boy . but somehow that relationship could not work out . But Ziva could not handle it . She lost interest in her studies and was feeling lonely . She was in the trap of Depression .
Depression : The silent killer . Now a days everybody is talking about depression . As per WHO report 20 % people suffer from depression . First we should understand What is depression ? Depression is a mood disorder which is persistent (For more than 2 weeks ) with consistent feeling of sadness, Hopelessness, Helplessness, worthlessness, Purposelessness, Interstlessness or withdrawal .
In above case Ziva was feeling hopeless, worthless and showing withdrawal symptoms . Her eyes were narrating the entire situation but her mother was not ready to accept that her daughter was under depression . Ziva’s mother is not the only one who feels the same . Because people don’t understand the underlying reason for depression .
There are many reason for depression , but the main reason is emotional . More than 50% of people face depression due to emotional turmoil . Major happening like death of loved one, divorce, breakup, rejection can lead to depression . In case of Ziva she could not handle rejection and fall in the trap of overthinking.
Second most important reason is social pressure .People fall in the trap of “What other people will think or what society will say ”. In case of Ziva her family pressurize her to excel in every field . She was status symbol for them . Their love was linked to Ziva’s academic excellence and performance . But they never tried to understand what is happening in her life . They fail to became her friend . That unconditional love was lacking in her life .
Another important reason is competition. You will find competition in each and every field of life . Competition so some extent is essential . It keeps you active and innovative . But if you are not enjoying the process , then you will lose interest in long run . This competition is major form of stress among student . Ziva was also victim of it . As she was getting attention of her parents after winning a competition , her thinking pattern developed in line with it . She had firm believe that to get love of parent she need to Win always . After facing rejection in relationship , she didn’t have any support system . As she was emotionally collapsed , she could not perform and lost attention form parents also . All these things lead to a dead end of Depression .
Ziva’s treatment was a challenging task .Because along with Ziva her parents also need a treatment . and root cause of her depression lies in the behavior of her parents . We developed special treatment plan for Ziva . She was not initially opening up , but Our expert psychologist and hypnotherapist in Manpravah built a good rapport with her . After understanding her feeling and deep thought we actually started the therapy . Hypnotherapy , CBT, NLP is very helpful in such cases .
Hypnotherapy work on subconscious mind . Main task was to remove feeling of rejection and worthlessness from her . Hypnotherapy made wonder in this case . It help to remove grief, anxiety form her mind . Relaxation therapy helps you to ready for accepting positive instruction and with the help of CBT it will get reflected in your behavior.
It took around 2 months for full recovery of Ziva . She came out of the depression . Along with that we need to work on her parents . Because social support system plays an important role in dealing with depression .
Counselling and therapy session brought tremendous changes in the behavior of her parents . They realize that their time is important for Ziva . Mere giving materialistic things and expecting excellence like a business deal is not going to help in nurturing relationship with their daughter . Their unconditional love will create secure and trusted environment for healthy relationship . After few setting they changed completely and accepted Ziva .
Now Ziva is completely out of depression . She is doing good in her studies and along with that she is nurturing her hobby of dancing.
You will find many children like Ziva around you . These children need love , attention without any condition . They need your time . If parent can become friend of their child , no child will fall in the trap of depression . Love your child the way he/She is .
Let’s break down the barriers of stigma, foster open dialogues about mental health, and create an environment where seeking help is not only accepted but encouraged. Each one of us has the power to be a catalyst for change. Together, let’s build a world where no one faces the shadows of depression alone, and where the collective light of compassion guides us toward a brighter, more supportive future.