Depression

I had a chance to be involved in Thailand Internationalization Forum (TIF) co-hosted by OHEC and Fulbright Thailand yesterday. The topi was on 'Depression Decoded', which is really trendy ka. We got great speakers like Dr. Sorawit Wainipitapong  a psychiatrist from Chula med school,  Assoc. Prof. Arunya Tuicomepee  psychologist from the Faculty of Psychology, Chula, along with three invited speakers for a panel discussion.

Here are what I've learned:

- The best way to identify if it's time to see a doctor/psychiatrist is when we have the 7 following signs: feeling sad within self for over 2 weeks;  bored to the point that no matter what we do, it won't make us feel good feeling weak physically and psychologically; wanting to be away from others with no desire to meet or interact whatsoever; getting worried about every little thing; and being unable to recall the most recent time when we were happy.

- The best formula I think a lot about is, 'Chronic Happiness = Reality - Expectations'. Was discussing it with my niece too especially when thinking of Thais and Americans. I met most American Fulbrighters, if not all, who always had high expectations and so they tended to get disappointed easily while Thais, the older generations, didn't set expectations at all from our 'arai gor dai (anything is ok)' but it isn't so true with the M and A generations laew ka. 

With too many expectations, I seriously think that happiness could soar when expectations are met and disappointment could be far down below! Balance would be needed for us to be more calm when striking some balance too.

- The best approach to tackle depression is 'contextual'..... from the sharing of our 3 panelists who went through depression before and now are quite stable, they had their different background with differing support (parents, partners, strong inner self, etc.) and choices. In any case, practicing Buddhism like reading or taking some actions did help. 

- The best support to give to the depressed is not to ask 'why' while listening fully and confirming our readiness to be present to help.

- The best quote I like is, 'Depression is not a sign of weakness - it is a sign that you were trying to be strong too long.' (in question if it was Sigmund Freud's).....our awareness, understanding, and support are needed ka.

In fact, there were many more I got from this forum and I'm glad most participants stayed on till the end which could be considered quite unusual. Hope they could bring back to their respective universities to push for some kind of stronger support like setting up a center for students/staff who may suffer from depression or other mental illnesses. 

More hope has shone ka.