The Dark Side

I read a story in today’s Mail & Guardian that has really got me thinking; are we not adapting fast enough? History has shown that the world turns, times change and society evolves. But what happens when the world is spinning so fast that people can no longer keep up?

Mark Rice-Oxley writes a gripping story of his battle with Depression in Mail & Guardian August 6. In an attempt to explain the vastness of the dark crevice he found himself in he writes ‘ There were days when I just sat on the bed and stared at the wall and wondered whether I was losing my mind, when even doing a child’s jigsaw puzzle would wear me out. Days, long joined-up hours, when I thought I would never work, write, parent, play or love again.’

The World Health Organisation has dreary prediction of our society’s future, predicting that by 2030 ‘depression will be second only to HIV/Aids in the toll it exacts on society’. Depression is a well known to lurk in dark corners, attacking even the most unsuspecting victims. It is an ugly monster, one that should be obliterated. So the question remains, why now, why in 21st century are we seeing a rise in depression.

Apparently, the most at risk population are woman and poor people. Causes vary from a major life event like the loss or change of a job, bereavement, relationship change. But mourning, career changes and new beginnings have been part of human life since the beginning of time. Obviously so has depression but not to this extent.
It is only my opinion (an uninformed one at that) that humans simply aren’t evolving fast enough to keep in the fast lane. My advice is this, if you feel like you’re falling down the well, reach out for help. If you feel like you’re accelerator is flat but you’re struggling to keep up then move to the slow lane. Take it easy people and don’t try out-run the wheel.