Losing the battle of mind

"How easy is it for you to cope with depression?" This was the question asked to Aalok Nembang four years back for a blog interview; where his answer was "Remember the line "this too shall pass".  On Thursday when he dared to hang himself I can't guess what was going on in his mind but it exposed that his mind wasn't recalling those lines which eventually led him to give up his life. I, as a person, don't call myself as his crazy fan but yes, he was one of mine favorite directors. I loved his creations. His sudden demise has shattered not only me but all of those who have loved Nepalese Art industry.

 So many assumptions are being made about the reasons that led the tragedy. But what has been revealed by now is that he had been going through the phase of depression.  Aalok was a film director, video choreographer, a TV celebrity, and one of the most successful young filmmakers in Nepali filmdom. So it is very hard to believe the news that his act of suicide was the consequence of his depression.

Such a prominent figure! And was in a depression? What was he depressed about? Was there anything lacking in his life which led him to be depressed? He was successful, which most of the youths aspire to have and fall into depression for not having it. Then what was the reason?

Well, I hope the answer may be revealed soon as our police personnel are going through the investigation process and as Aalok was the renowned figure, I am hopeful that his case will not be just an open and shut case and we, as his audience will be able to know about the truth about his life. But this misfortune has given birth to so many questions about the mental health status of our country men.

Although accurate statistics regarding depression are hard to find for the closed societies like Nepal, many of us have probably noticed ourselves or our near and dear ones with the impact of depression. While, it is estimated that about a fifth of the world's population will experience at least one episode of major depression in the course of their lives as a common mental health disorder. Albeit, Nepalese society still attaches the stigma on this issue and even the government seems to turn a blind eye on the priority of mental health facilities in which 80 percent of the mental health is common problems and 20 percent is severe case of depression.

Depression can be caused by biological, psychological and social causes, however there are certain risk factors mainly loneliness, no social support, stressful life experience, relationship problems, childhood trauma, financial difficulty that  can make one vulnerable and should not be ignored.

While, most people who are depressed do not kill themselves, but they have an increase risk of possible suicide. The possibility is even more in the context of our country where people hesitate to talk about these issues and if anybody expresses suicidal thoughts, then either his/her intentions are taken as joke or he/she is termed as a coward. Thus, most of the people choose to suffer rather than to share.

It is important to understand that one can deal with the thought of depression through lifestyle changes. Exercise, yoga, sharing feelings, refraining from being impulsive, relaxing, eating healthy food can also help feel positive and develop sound coping mechanism. Apart from all these, what is primarily important is the way we perceive the people who express their mental and emotional problem. 

Any one at any phase of life can have the problem of depression. We really need to reach out to more people about it. It's serious. People with depression need help. We must remember that time doesn't heal all the problems; rather we must put our effort on to it. Depression is a similar case. Issues related to mental and emotional well-being needs to be the priority even in our place so that we don't have to hear another gleaming star of Nepalese society crumpling down losing the battle of mind.