WHAT IS THE IMPACT OF COVID19 ON DEPRESSION & SUICIDE?
We are reacting to cases of depression and suicide as if we have forgotten the painful reality of living through a pandemic.
The loss of life and livelihood that we all have been through. To address the current suicidal & suicide cases around us, we need to address the root cause which I strongly believe is the root or Elephant in the room.
In this article, I will argue that the increased cases of mental illness and suicide are linked to the cruelty of covid19. Therefore, I will be answering the question; What Is The Impact Of Covid19 On Mental Health & Suicide?
I will begin by defining the terms; depression, trauma & triggers to help us understand the complexity of the issues we are dealing with, and use this knowledge to inform ourselves & others.
Is a mental health issue which means it's a medical condition that manifests itself through moods & functionality.
A person struggling with depression may experience sadness, anxieties & a sense of hopelessness.
I often describe this place as a deep, dark, and scary place to be.
Contrary to what other people think, depression is a very serious condition and if left untreated the consequences would be addictions, self-harming, or death through suicide.
Depression doesn't attack you suddenly like flu or Malaria. It develops over a very long period of years.
I didn't know that the things I have been struggling with is depression. Then a few years ago I took a bipolar test online, and these results showed positive. However, that was a wrong diagnosis, but it opened my eyes to know something is wrong with me.
Therefore, left unchecked depression can degenerate to levels that could push a person to the edge.
And by the way, our lives battling depression is living on the edge everyday literally because anything is possible.
Trauma is a human response to a horrific event like an accident where bodies have been ripped apart, rape, war, pandemic like covid19 & other natural disasters like floods, earthquakes, etc.
The long-term impact on trauma includes flashbacks, relationship problems, and sometimes even physical symptoms like nausea & headaches.
With the war between Russia and Ukraine, I have been having headaches a lot.
There is a section of the hospital designated as a Trauma Ward. This is the section where patients suffering traumatic injuries from car accidents, long falls, or injuries caused by gunshots are treated. These patients can suffer flashbacks.
Anything that reminds you of a traumatic event in your life is a trigger. The day I wrote down a post about the time I was sexually violated at the age of 12, I felt the pain again and I cried a lot.
I was standing in a queue at an ATM, and a man stood too close behind me I could feel his breath and I was so triggered that I stood aside and told him to go ahead of me.
His intentions might not have been sexual, but for a man who was raped as a boy, I don't feel comfortable for a man to stand too close behind me.
That triggers me, and it was just last week but I was shaking and the poor guy didn't know why I was so offended.
I remember our Ethics lecturer was giving a lecturer on child trafficking & prostitution. The brutal details of prostitution were too much for some female students who couldn't stop their tears, they stood up and left the chapel hall.
Later, a complaint was registered that the Ethics Lecturer should have informed the students concerning the graphic nature of the topic so that sensitive students wouldn't join in.
For those who were sexually abused or violated news or conversation on rape trigger them and might push them into depression. Depression doesn't kill, triggers kill.
Triggers affect your five senses. You may SEE, FEEL, SMELL, TOUCH, OR TASTE someone or something that might trigger the traumas of the past.
There is a distinct smell of the man who raped me. Sometimes I come across that odor and my heart gets so shattered.
A woman who has been traumatized by her father or a husband might pick up certain words that the abuser used before abusing her.
And sometimes in relationships, you don't understand why she reacts the way she reacts because you remind her of her abuser when you do or say certain things. Find out what words or actions trigger her so that you can help her not to be traumatized.
Triggers by themselves are harmless, but they make you overreact as if you are in danger.
It's like falling off the cliff, and you are afraid of you going down to your death, and you scream so hard and bang, you are awake, it was just a dream. You are safe on your bed.
That's what triggers are, they make it feel so real but it's not that dangerous as to end your life.
WHAT CAUSES DEPRESSION?
This is a difficult question especially when it is personalized. People ask me that question, it is difficult in my case to actually pinpoint exactly the place & date.
I can however look back at the events in my childhood that were traumatic. There are also traumatic dreams that kept coming back to me.
Even something as public toilets can be very traumatic. I have had dreams of the filthy toilets at Konkola Primary School.
Often you walk into the toilet and there are defecation everywhere on the floor, on the toilet seats, and for years after that, I still get traumatized in my dreams. Also, the smell of pit latrines or long drops ignites trauma.
Therefore, though there is no single cause of depression, it can happen for many reasons like stressful life events such as death, divorce, sickness, physical disability, losing a job or financial crisis can cause depression.
Worry indeed can cause depression, especially when this worry is prolonged. Scripture says;
"Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with Thanksgiving, let your request be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4: 6-7)
There are however four causes of depression namely;
(a) Family Trauma
Depression is not something that one inherits through blood ties. It is not yet proved scientifically that depression is hereditary, however, family trauma can be picked up by children.
Children growing up in depressed families can pick up these traumas. That is why it is wrong for a mother to stay in an abusive marriage.
The children pick her pain, & trauma and live in depression simply because their mother stayed in a loveless abusive married. Walk out of abusive marriages for the sake of your kids.
(b) Illness
Illness especially chronic sickness can cause depression.
(c) Prescription Medication, Alcohol & Drugs
It's important to pay attention to your body's reaction to certain medications. And talk to your doctor about it. If need be your medication can be changed. Alcohol and excessive use of drugs can cause depression later on in life.
(d) Personality Traits
Some people hold on to pain, worry, and grudges longer. This is dangerous to your mental health. People who are prone to low self-esteem, perfectionists who feel bad if their project doesn't come out exactly as they wanted are prone to depression.
COVID19 AND SUICIDE
I have watched many documentaries on Hitler & the Holocaust. The impact of the holocaust on survivors on their mental health.
To make matters worse, their stories or narrative of the holocaust are being disputed and often they are looked upon as sellouts.
They are asked how they were not killed while so many lives were thrown into the gas chambers.
Our reality, our context today has been the impact of covid19 on lives & livelihood. In the war there are casualties, but there is no luxury of stopping to mourn and bury our loved ones.
During these two years, we have experienced death after death, but we were deep into the pandemic.
I wrote that post the pandemic, we will then begin to see trauma, depression, and suicide on the rise.
This is what happened to us all;
#Deaths; I lost more than 10 close family & friends during the pandemic. The painful thing about covid19 deaths was that there was no visitation in hospitals.
Once your relative is admitted that was the last time to see your loved ones. The dying often feel comforted when surrounded by family. Our loved ones died by themselves, alone, a very sad & lonely death that never provided closure to the bereaved families.
This kind of death is traumatic. It never provided closure. And today we are still not okay, we all need counseling.
#Isolation; lockdowns restrictions affected us. Affected the way we socialize as humans. We are indeed social beings, and often the creatives, or music artists, actors, etc they thrive on the crowds.
It was not just about money, it was about not getting the crowds shouting and calling out your name. Our musicians love that attention, crave that attention, and thrive on that attention.
#Loss of income; many people lost their source of income. No savings to sustain them. Others lost their businesses. Churches lost incomes and also lost places of worship because they couldn't afford rent or mortgage.
#Fear; there was a sense of uncertainty. The fear of death and dying. And to add salt to injury the fear of nuclear warfare.
It is clear therefore that the levels of depression and suicide has a direct link to Covid19 trauma.
As black people we need to stop spiritualizing everything. When we have knowledge we have the power to help each other.
When you call a dead person who kills himself as a murderer or selfish, you are not informed at all.
When a person reaches a place of no reverse they are not thinking of religion. They are already living in hell, depression is hell.
The fear or threat-based approach can't work with depression, it just encourages it.
The question of where to spend eternity is irrelevant especially if Christians are the source of one's trauma.
Our context is that of the lose of life & livelihood and we are now beginning to experience it.
We need help all of us. Churches must organize meetings to address issues of depression by outsourcing the services of professional people.
Same with schools and workplaces. And if you are reading this and you feel depressed let us talk about it.
Men, we are not stones. We are not strong, we too are fragile. We are gentle Giants. We are bleeding a lot too. We need to be each other's brothers' keeper 💕💕💕
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