Depression – The Devastating War a Student Fights
Arif Hussain Arsh
To me, being in any worse state which paralyses mind, body and soul is depression. For medical science, it is a common and serious medical illness that negatively affects how one feels, the way he thinks and how he acts. Depression causes feelings of sadness. It can lead to a variety of emotional and physical problems and can decrease a person’s ability to work actively. It can be mild as well as chronic in intensity. Depression is usually called a silent killer. Though it does not take the life but makes it hard to live. It snatches one’s ability to think and act innovatively. Science says that it sucks blood and ages man. Loss of complexion and charm are common in it. Body deformation and weakness are also due to depression. It not only affects health but mind also. People of all ages fall prey to this silent disease. The youngsters, elders and the aged people fight against it accordingly. But, the most affected and disturbed ones are the students. Mental retardation has been observed in depressed students. It puts the student into a severe darkness. Where he mourns, cries, yells and looks around for help but finds non. His all friends and relatives become strangers. He is left alone and helpless. Being in tension is like being locked in a closed room. Where we even can’t breathe and stay for few minutes in it. It is like searching for water in hot dry desert in summer. Depression pains more than a child delivery. The whole world is encapsulated by depression. Almost 60 percent of total students in any country is living such a miserable life. This problem harms the whole world equally.
Many of the students come from poor families. When they reach college or university level, they are unable to submit fee on time. At this level, they need much amount. A student having poor financial problem can’t concentrate on his studies. Now, for such a person it becomes very hard to go ahead and excel in life. Moreover, the most painful moment is asking oneself “what should I wear for school today? I have been wearing the same dress for last two weeks”. This is one of the hard questions asked by every student of every age and almost in every country. Therefore, many students do not join parties, picnics and get togethers. They fear to spend money on their little wants. A fine dress, good food and health, enjoyment and parties are mere dreams for such students. Such students then start looking for a job. Many students in USA and Pakistan work in call centers late at night. Sitting in front of a computer long time is a tough job to do at such a young age. This job works opposite and enhances stress even more. Thus, a student’s both the health and education get badly disturbed.
A human mind develops and flourishes well in an ideal environment. Like for a plant to grow healthy, provision of favorable condition is necessary. In the same way, a student also needs a friendly and favorable environment to learn. But, unfortunately, some students do not get the same. The behavior of teachers, classmates and staff members plays an important role in this regard. Favoritism, discrimination, hatred, strictness and punishment puts a student in depression. Bullying, ragging and teasing juniors and new comers have brought unappreciable results. Many of them have changed the college or left studies forever. This has also put many suicidal commits in India for last many years. In the United States, suicide is the second leading cause of death among people aged 15–34 years. Among young adults aged 18–25 years, 8.3 percent have had serious thoughts of suicide. Depression is the biggest risk factor for suicidal youth. In colleges, selection of right subject and course is also necessary. Medical science says that doing something which we do not like is embarrassing and boring. So, this ultimately pushes a student towards the valley of tension and stress. Scholarships, interviews, tests, competitions and other aims break a student, when they are not achieved.
Breakups and loss of any loved one also cause much disturbance. Most youngsters fall in love and get hurt when they fail to get or lose after getting it. This trend is very high in teenagers also. Carl Pickhardt, Ph.D., in an article in “Psychology Today” says that about 15 percent of teens do have this experience. Teens as young as 13 may feel like they’re falling in love, and in some cases, they really might be. In another article, “Kids Health” it is said that many teenagers feel physical attraction for others and they like to develop intimacy and closeness. Every person needs a true friend to live a happy life with. A friend who always helps and stands by during hard times is a boon from heaven. If someone losses or fails to find such a friend then his life becomes a punishment. He feels loneliness even in crowd and avoids joining gatherings. This situation does not allow one to utilize one’s talent. The losers take the lead and he lags them just like the empty train boxes follow the engine. His talent and skills get rusted. Such people waste their precious time thinking over the situations without taking any action.
I call being in such a devastating and destructive circumstances is no less than fighting a war. This war is silently fought by every student worldwide. But, unfortunately, less attention is given towards it so far. Because of which so many bright and proficient students have badly entangled by this hollowing war. Yes, I regard it a hollowing war, because it burns the victim’s spirit and turns his all dreams into ashes. As a result, he suffers from loneliness, disappointment, frustration, inferiority complex, fear and severe stress. During these moments, the world looks stranger and nobody, even friends fail to understand him. No doubt, all students try to get rid of this situation. But being young and fragile it shakes most of the students badly. This kills the dreams and enthusiasm and weakens the hearts. Unfortunately, when this condition lasts for a longer time then many students follow the wrong path. Addiction to drugs and alcohols are prominent gifts of depressions. They try every type of drug to get relief from it. This does not happen in males only but in females also. One of my female students herself told me that she uses alcohol to get rid of tension. She lives with her aunt but they behave with her very cruelly. They beat her, call her names and degrade her. During her examinations, she used to cry and share her pain with me. I tried my best to counsel her but it was too late then. Consequently, she could not concentrate on her studies and left forever. Now, she works as a cook in a hotel.
The best time to grasp the world is now. It is the right time to explore ourselves. Stars shine only in the darkness. Plants also shed their leaves during winters to prepare themselves for the coming springs. Flowers and their fragrance has also a short life. It is not important to live a long life but it is important to live short but a glorious life. We should prefer one day of lion to hundred days of a fox. Further, it does not matter that how many moments of life we live. What matters is, how we live the whole life in a single moment. So, there arises no reason to blame and be disappointed. Nature also teaches us that ups and downs are parts life. The regulation of day and night also gives us the message that after every problem is a peace. God has created so many tiny and mighty creatures in the diverse universe. This biodiversity demands us to think over the reality of this world. If we succeed to realize a single fact then we would be the happiest persons of the world. That fact is “I am created by such an entity Who is the master of masters. So, nothing in the world can defeat me because I am born to be succeeded”. If a potter loves all what he has made then how much our creator would love us. It is said that God loves His cream of creatures, the man more than seventy mothers.
No doubt, great leaders are made by such situations. Challenges and hardships are blessings. They come not to stop us but to make us succeed in life. They even can’t stop us. To be in hard time is like being in a motivational training session. A continuous fighting and grieving is a long learning process. A person gets completely changed after been through these situations. It grooms and makes one’s personality. Once a rough irregular desert stone asked a round smooth seashore stone that how did it become that much attractive. The round stone replied that every day it faces the pressured water layers and gets carved. We can also carve our destiny too. We can also be among the world’s most successful persons. We can also be like Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Stephen Hawking, Mark Zuckerberg and many others. But, for that we need to believe in ourselves and put our effort in the best way. Nature has created very person for a specific purpose and all are valuable regardless of colour, height and complexion. Nick Vujicic a limbless Australian star is an ample example for all of us. He says that God has created me to give others a reason to live.
The depression is curable. We just need to pay attention towards people around us. Let us, make this world free of stress. Let us, spread Happiness world around. This all is possible and I hope one day my dream will turn into reality. May it be so.
The contributor is a student at PMAS-UAAR. He can be reached at arifhussainarsh@gmail.com
