Aves Scenario A
This is your best friend, Avery!
She is sociable, bubbly and sporty. Her hobbies include riding her bicycle and dancing.
However, over the june holidays, you noticed that Avery has been turning down your invitations for social events. After the june holidays, you also noticed that Avery is spending more time alone sleeping at her desk during recess. She doesn’t seem to have an appetite.
What do you think you should do? (choose one)
Are you sure that's the best option? What Avery displayed are signs of depression, a medical condition which negatively affects brain function and one's productivity. If Avery really does have depression, and she keeps it to herself, her symptoms may get worse, with the most serious ones being self-harm!
Although Avery did show signs of possible mental conditions, like depression, it may not be very nice to report her to the counsellor straight away, especially since Avery's symptoms are not that serious (like self-harm) and she may not be ready to see the counsellor yet. Most importantly, you do not know how Avery is truly feeling, the symptoms may be a result of other causes like stress or changes in interest. It is always essential to clarify with her first.
Avery nervously answers, "I'm fine". However, over the next few days, she continues acting strangely and is even getting called out by the teacher in class for “daydreaming”.
What do you think you should do? (choose one)
Uh oh! Avery's behaviour actually hints that she may have depression, and it may be getting worse! Although Avery says she's fine, she may actually be trying to hide her negative feelings as she's insecure about it. As her friend, you should try finding out her true feelings instead, and do what you can to help her!
Avery opens up and tells you that she has been diagnosed with clinical depression all along due to genetic factors. Her mother has depression as well, and they often go to therapy sessions together and support one another in coping with depression as her father works long hours. However, her mother's health has taken a turn for the worst, making her very worried that she will lose her pillar of support.
What do you think you should do? (choose one)
This is actually a common misconception that one can simply snap out of depression. However, this is not true, because one cannot choose whether they want to have depression, be it genetic like in Avery's case or not! Depression is not easy to get out of because it's more that just feelings of sadness; it's a medical condition and the person with depression needs a lot of support to get out of it.
Good job you! Because of your continuous support, Avery is feeling better!
Remember, that when you know of someone who has been clinically diagnosed with depression, it is always crucial to offer help to support to that person. It will go a long way! Now that you have experienced Scenario A, let's go to Scenario B if you have not tried it!