Dr. Sushil Rudra

• Modern Society and Mental Stress:  How to Combat With Silent Killer Depression of Life           

• The Various Causes Of Mental Illnesses.

Do you know that the modern world is passing through a hectic schedule and almost all people are facing mental trouble due to that? As a result, stress and depression a silent pandemic is growing in the world.

Today’s modern society having a lot of painful diseases the most and dreadful one is mental stress and depressions.

We have lost so many dear and near one as recently spreading out the pandemic “ Covid 19”. Our colleagues, friends, relatives, known and unknown people are not happy because of the demise of their parents, or their adjacent neighbours.

Not only Covid, modern times give us so many mental troubles though it has also provided us  a comfortable life. In spite of that we are not happy and contented .

Stress – free life is not the consequences of modern life. More or less, we have to face mental stress and anxiety in our daily lives.

What is Stress?

Stress is the feeling of being overwhelmed or unable to cope with mental or emotional pressure. Stress effects everyone. All of us experience stress from time to time.

Why it’s different from other Diseases?

Mental health disorder is somewhat different from other diseases. There must be a cause behind any physical disease. It may be affected by any germ or viruses, but the cause behind mental disorders are not germs or viruses.

Cause Behind the Mental Illness:

Mental stress and tension creates underneath the mind a kind of panic, restlessness, fears of death, loss of property or money, insecurity in life and so on.

It generally borne out from the imbalance of body and mind. We can say that mental illness like stress, anxiety, depression – all these disease grow up from Psychosomatic disease.

What’s actually Psychosomatic?

The word “ Psyche “ means Mind and “ Soma “ means Body. The main role acts behind this disease is our competitive upbringing and fast growing modern lifestyle.

The more we are running to achieve success in love and life, the more we are forwarding  towards a personal longing where there is a hope, the more we have to encounter with the uncertainty of lives, the more we are to face mental fatigue. The massive mental fatigue syndrome turns out to mental illness.

We sometimes relinquish it, but it gradually increases  problems. Perhaps we may not able to get a sound sleeps. Busy scheduled, hectic workload might be the cause of mental disorders. We can’t keep pace with the massive routine of daily tasks. So the result is stress and anxiety.

Some Stories: How to Combat With Silent Killer Depression of Life

Since ancient times people expressed their feelings of depression. Today, what we call as a disease of passion, – in which there is mental depression in one side, and other side is reckless amusement and worldly pleasure. We can find such restless minds, reckless amusement and pleasure and ultimately victims of depression in our mythology and history.

 In Old Testament, there is a memorable  story of depressing king. His name is king Sal. The great epic of Homer’s “ Illiad “, the Epic- poet describes a picture of suicide of Ajacks, which took place due to mental depression.

Four hundred years  before the birth of Jesus Christ, Hippocrates described about depression of mind. There he used a  word “ Melancholia” in this description. Still we are using this word as a definition of depression.

Roman Doctor, Aulas Kornelious Selsus in his book “ Di Re Medicine” explained the cause of depression. He guessed black bile juice as the cause of depression. The origin of the Greek word “Melancholia” comes from it. ‘ Melan’ means black and ‘ Chol ‘means bile ( Pitto ).

In the history of ancient Indian medicine “ Ayurveda “, the wise doctors said that the sound health of body and mind depends on the balance of four physical juices.

We noticed so many descriptions of mental depression in our old manuscripts and epics like the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. A lot of facts about suicide due to depression had been depicted there.

Read more: RABIBDRANATH TAGORE IN DEPRESSION

King Dasharath And Depression : How to Combat With Silent Killer Depression of Life

Like common people, King Dasharatha had to face depression three times in his gorgeous and stupendous life. King was attacked by depressions. First depression came to his mind when he incidentally killed a son of a blind parents.

Second time Dasharatha felt depressed when his most adorable and dearest hermit Rishi Viswamitra left from him along with his offsprings.

Third and finally, he became depressed when his two sons Rama and Laxmana left their kingdom along with Sita as they were exiled for fourteen years.

 Ultimately, he became felt  unwell due their absence. Melancholy was his companion unto the last breath. In Ramayana, it’s described that Dasharatha had been suffering from long time mental pain, sorrows, and the disruption of peace.

Even his father, King Aja died fifteen years after his wife, Indumoti’s untimely death. During fifteen years he had been suffering from depression. It’s  due to melancholy. Grief and isolation wrapped him up  for a long time. He did not have any foods and naturally had died unfed.

Depression The Silent Pandemic & Godly Man Rama :How to Combat With Silent Killer Depression of Life

Rama, the godly man was also attacked by

Depression attacked Rama when he was only 15 years old. In Ramayana, the poet describes the depressive state of mind :

Once the physique of Prince Rama was vibrant, now it turns into sicky, feeble and unfolding. He looks like a cloudy and depressed just like a draughted   river.

He has lost his glamour of physical body due to depressions. His bloody calm and quite face and his bright eyes turn into Teddy like a white plasma( Lotus ).

Rama used to sit on padmasana (Lotus yoga posture) keeping his one hand under the face. He is very thoughtful and sorrowful. He has no concern about his daily activities. He is in deep sorrows and despair.

No one couldn’t understand why Rama is in this state of mind. His followers and nearer one asks him why he is in this state of mind? But Rama won’t reply to this question. Only being despair and depressed he ate something and very unconsciously do some work.

 The modern medical science describes some characteristics or symptoms of depression. The vital symptoms are rickety, loss of appetite, unwilling to perform any work, forgetful mind, anxiety, lethargy, mood swings, over passionate or zero interest, not interested in moving anywhere, cloudy mind, absent of mind, sickly complexion etc.

Hence, we see some similar characteristics in the appearance and attitudes of the godly man, Rama .

This kind of sorrowfulness, melancholic attitude of one’s mind sometimes acts like a infective disease. We become involved in it and feel sorr

Naturally, when we see in the film the melancholy appearance of the actor who is acting as Rama, we feel sad by being involved. According to Aristotle, it’s “ Catharsis”.

But the poet didn’t refer any incident for the cause of depression faced by Rama. Eventually there was no incident behind Rama’s depression. The Priest of the kingdom says that there is no worldly discontent of Rama.

As a result, anything, worldly consumption he had not willing to have. Or this state of Rama’s mind is neither for loss of anything, not for any accident, or sudden  death of nearest one. This grief, suffering and sadness are from the inner world.

Therefore, we can’t get any sources of information about this melancholy. It’s different from the any other mental depression .

At the age of 18, depression wrapped up again to Rama . The Raj – Vaidya Bashistha gave him some spiritual advice and Rama felt well.

It’s truth that when we are to face any trouble and become restless and depressed, reading Gita every day is a fantabulous remedy for a steady flow of positive energy. It calms our mind.

In this connection here I remember the wish of Rama. He expressed his willingness to commit suicide several times.

 When Ram Chandra came to know that his dearest brother made suicide sinking in deep river Saroyu, he became speechless and massively depressed. Ultimately he got suicide in the same river jumping in the deep water.

 So, It proves the fatality of this silent disease. The story is not finished. The end of the episodes is very sadistic. Everyone of Ayoddha became stunned by sorrows and melancholy hearing the demise of Rama and Laxmana.  

 Following two elders, Bharat and Shatrughna committed suicide afterwards in the same river. It’s an incident of mass suicidal cases in our history.

To be continuedAnxietyDepressionMental HealthMental Illn

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