Mention the word depression in any social setting, even with close friends, and the tone of the conversation drops like a stone. We know it happens, and we may even know some folks who have suffered from it, or sadly still do, but we want to keep a healthy distance. After all, it spoils an otherwise good evening, and if you are the one who brings the subject up, friends will distance themselves one by one until you are left on your own. Is that where any depressed person belongs?
Make no mistake, there is a short distance between anxiety and depression if not recognised and tackled both by the sufferer and his or her circle of friends. Like other internal issues, the signs can be well hidden, or perhaps seen but ignored and the last thing anyone wants is the stigma associated with the condition. After all, so the thought goes, you are only one step away from a straightjacket and a padded cell.
Anyone with a deep faith should never be depressed, I hear you say. You have salvation and so many things to live for, and maybe you are right, but there are examples in the Bible of men of God who succumbed to depression in different circumstances. So is it really so strange to think that someone you know will be close to their emotional limit?
If you want to help, here are some things to look for, but are rarely seen. A convincing and ready smile. An encouraging manner. The hard swallow lump in the throat. An unguarded emotional tear. You are looking for a master of facial and emotional disguise, so don’t be surprised when you see a friend ‘go under’ and find yourself saying, “I would never have guessed”. It just shows how good a job they did at hiding, and how poor a job we do as friends in not getting close enough to see, but be assured that you are not alone in missing the signs. The really sad and telling truth is that you probably won’t recognise the condition in your friend until they tip over the visible edge. Such is life!
