How do you recognize the symptoms of depression? Isn’t that something everyone should know? We’ve all learned how to recognize the symptoms of Covid 19, right? And other diseases have organizations that do public education about them, like cancer, heart disease, etc.
Alexi Pappas, writing in the New York Times, says that everyone should be taught to recognize the symptoms of depression in the same way that we learn to take account of physical symptoms. Her podcast describes her own brush with major depression after record-setting runs and participation in the 2016 Olympics. Throughout her career as a runner, her coaches taught her to be aware of her body’s signals in order to get to and remain in top physical condition. But when it came to mood and mental issues, she was in the dark. Depression is one of the greatest causes of ill health in the world today, but many sufferers still labor under a stigma which prevents them from talking openly about their experiences. The belief that depression stems from some kind of “weakness” in the sufferer is still widespread. Nationally known figures such as Pappas, an athlete, actor and writer can bring much-needed attention to the issue of recognizing and getting treatment for depression.