Depression, the invisible illness: stigma that makes people hide the condition, and why it needs removing
- Three in every 100 people in Hong Kong suffers from depression
- In Asian society, depression is rarely talked about because of the shame associated with it. Admitting you have depression may harm your family’s reputation
Depression is a growing problem. Experts believe we can stop it getting bigger – and help sufferers manage their depression – by removing the stigma that surrounds the condition.
Maria England was diagnosed with dysthymia (persistent mild depression), when she was a teenager. Today, at the age of 35, the job recruiter, who works in the Asia-Pacific region, still experiences depressive episodes, but says that because it is an invisible illness, people expect her to act “normal” when she’s feeling anything but.
“Sometimes I feel like I have to put on a mask when I’m around others, and I’m not alone when I say that. Most people with depression cannot admit their condition to their bosses because they worry about getting fired; we don’t want to tell our friends how we’re feeling because we don’t want to be judged or shunned; so we pretend that everything is OK when in reality we’re falling apart inside.
“There’s definitely prejudice against people with depression. For me, some days are better than others, but people cannot even see my illness, let alone understand it, so I feel like I have to be cheerful and positive all the time, no matter what. It’s exhausting.”
England isn’t wrong about the stigma surrounding depression.
