It’s no secret that depression rates in the United States have been rising for the past decade. Every day, more and more Americans are reporting symptoms linked to and involved with depression. In fact, depression rates in young adults have risen from 8.5 percent in 2011 to 11.1 percent in 2014, while in general 1 in every 5 adults suffers from depression in their lifetime. Of these cases, only 20% receive actual treatment.
However, because the number of adults and young adults with depression is increasing, this means that a number of people who believe depression isn’t real have to be increasing as well. Many of those who do not believe in depression are those who come from or are connected to religious communities, due to the fact that there is a prominent stigma surrounding mental health with those closely connected to religion.
There are an obvious ignorance and prevalent lack of recognition towards mental illness in religious communities, and factors such as culture are seen as the main reason for this stigma. Speaking on behalf of someone from a family mildly yet still strictly rooted in its South Asian culture and Islamic faith, I can’t even begin to count how many times I’ve heard someone say that depression isn’t real and that the cure is to just, “stop being sad”.
“Wow, stop being sad? Huh, I’ve never thought about that one before, thanks!”
This lack of recognition from religious communities may have to do with the fact that many people who grew up in these communities were taught to believe that God deals you your cards and you are just supposed to live with it or to maybe start praying more to help you to “stop being sad”. Others believe that one cannot be depressed if they have a roof over their head and food on their plate. While it is true that there are so many people in the world who cannot enjoy the same privileges that we take for granted every day, this still does not validate the argument against depression and the development of mental illness.
Once while discussing depression and its lack of recognition in religious communities, someone very close to me had this to say:
“I don’t understand why they’re mad at me. Why are they blaming me! It’s not my fault. It isn’t like I asked to be depressed.”
It needs to be understood that depression isn’t just sadness or something “trendy” that teenagers want to say that they have. One can’t simply stop being depressed just like that. While types of depression and depressive thoughts and moods vary, the most effective cure for depression is to get help and to develop a strong support system.
Those with depression or mental illnesses tend to feel alone as if they have no one in their corner. These feelings won’t get better if those who they believe will support them, like their family, tell them that what they are going through is not real.
