What is a taboo?

Like stigma, taboois an interesting word. It has become distanced from its original meaning. The word originates from Tonga and New Zealand and has the following meaning in the native culture:

"Something that was put to one side or devoted to a special use or a special purpose”. A religious significance. It was prohibited to use the word for ordinary purposes. It was reserved for a special person or group of people, such as priests.”

However, today taboo is often used to refer to a subject or activity which you avoid or prohibit as a result of society's norms.

Depression "embarrassing"?

An example of a taboo is the fact that many people see suffering from depression as being "embarrassing". This means that we do not talk about depression. This leads to ignorance; ignorance evokes a sense of mystery. Mystery creates myths, which choke facts and create stigmas and taboos. It creates a vicious spiral of denial and ignorance and ultimately leads to a refusal to accept the illness. This is unfortunate because it usually means the illness will not be treated appropriately.

Stigmas and taboos relating to depression are harmful. To dispel these stigma and taboos, the myths must be replaced by facts and ignorance must be replaced by knowledge and understanding. This is what DepNet is all about.

The modern mythology of depression

Amongst the enduring myths about depression are:

• Depression is just feeling “a bit down”.
  • Depression is not just a low mood and has a profound effect on everyday life.
• Depression is an indication of weakness in people.
  • Some people may blame the mentally ill for their disease implying that the illness indicates a weakness or character flaw rather than acknowledging depression as a disease. Depression is an illness that can affect anyone.
• Mental illness represents a lifelong disorder with little chance of recovery.
  • When adequate treatment is received many people recover from depression; when relapse occurs, the ongoing illness can often also be managed successfully.
• Depression is an excuse for laziness.
  • A survey in the USA has shown that over half of those asked believed that people who suffer from depression are lazy. We know that depression often leads to a lack of motivation and tiredness, a reluctance to co-operate and low productivity. But the survey shows how easy it is to see the symptoms and draw the wrong conclusions.
• Another common attitude is that depression is the first step on the way to the ‘loony bin’ or insanity.
  • This is far from the truth. At times, hospital admission is appropriate especially if there is a concern that the person is seriously suicidal. Hospitalisation allows administration of specialised treatment and care that may not be possible as an outpatient.
• Depression is the fault of the sufferer.
  • Depression is not something to feel guilty about, it is not your fault that you are depressed.

Many myths about medical treatment for depression also exist. Some of these myths may include:

• Antidepressants are addictive.
  • They are not. They are also not habit-forming. In some cases, it is necessary to reduce the dose slowly in order to avoid sudden changes in the chemistry of the brain and the symptoms that this can cause.
• Antidepressants change a person's normal behaviour.
  • In reality, the medicine changes the depressive behaviour and allows the person's normal personality to re-emerge from the dark.
• Happy pills make you happier.
  • Antidepressants are not "happy pills", as some journalists suggest. Antidepressants will not change fundamental personality traits. Depression is an illness which subdues your usual personality. Depression is not a part of your personality. However, dysthymia (chronic depression) can extend over such a long period that it can seem like a part of your personality even though it isn't.

In conclusion:

• Mythology represses the facts and chokes the truth.
• Mythology satisfies ignorance and provides fertile soil for prejudice.

Mythology is often difficult to fight because it gives a nice, simple explanation for things which can be complex and difficult to understand.