"Bro, Depression Ho Gaya"

 Hey everyone!

Welcome back <3

This post is actually inspired from something I saw both online and in real life, and it irked me quite a lot.

"Bro, Depression Ho Gaya" 

like the tittle says, is something I heard in school. The context being: They didn't do so well in an exam or just think it's funny/relatable. 

My main aim in this post is to focus rather on why we should stop just throwing these words around rather than just being an "overreactive advocate" (Yes, people have actually said that to me.)

Without further ado, let's get to it. 

The Stigma.

There's a HUGE stigma surrounding Mental Health globally. People are afraid to open up because of this surrounding layer of apparent shame. 

When people use such terms and sentences, they unknowingly add more to the very stigma. 
It makes the victim believe as if what they are going through "isn't a big deal" and further burdens them from not opening up about it.

Their fears are undermined and simultaneously overpowered by society.     
Some people choose to use these terms as an excuse thereby increase the stigma.

You're indirectly invalidating the emotions of the victim when you choose to use such terms.

I've had instances of people saying such stuff, not just with depression but with literally every single mental illness we know of. 

"Bro your desk is so clean, *OCD alert*" 

There's also a flip side to this argument which is people use these terms to convey their hidden emotions. But when you see everyone around you using those terms, it impacts your self esteem and feelings. That's just the truth.

I have always been a strong recommender of not self-diagnosing, so if you feel you're struggling, ask for help. But go to the right people. It does work. 

Everyone makes mistakes when their unaware of something. I have too. I have used these terms in the past. I can't change the past but I can mind my future. Educate yourself on these and try to reduce the usage of such terms irl.

Also keep in mind the context. The word 'depressed' may at times mean sad too (English books *cough*). They're not always indicative of the mental illness, but as conscious and responsible members of society, we must contribute to using the term properly and not trivialising it.

That was it for today! Hope y'all enjoyed it. Don't forget to share and subscribe for more, every Friday!

Signing off,

Kuhu :)