“Get over it.”

“You need to learn how to toughen up.”

“Why don’t you just take a vacation, or shop, do whatever to make yourself happy.”

If happiness was simply a consequence of a set of actions, then one could easily dismiss World Health Organization’s (WHO) statistics that state that India is one of the most depressed countries in the world (with 36% of the population estimated to be suffering from major depression at some point in their lives). But the truth is, we shy away from accepting the epidemic like situation when it comes to mental health. The stigma and our own uninformed selves try and brush it away with comments (mentioned above), asking the afflicted to just ‘cheer up!’.

And in this context, Deepika Padukone’s The Live Love Laugh Foundation’s latest campaign, #DobaraPoocho, initiates a real conversation around this sensitive topic.

The narrative of the campaign portrays 4 different stories, representative of real life circumstances, and social situations – a father & son duo, two brothers on a car ride, two friends at a party, an old couple at a breakfast table. But the common thread is the persistence with which simple questions – How are you? What’s up? Are you okay? – are asked, that ultimately help break down the walls.

What the campaign underlines is that awareness is the key to fighting this emotional black hole that may rob us of our friends, family, and even ourselves. Depression is difficult to articulate for those suffering from it. But that should not stop us from offering help. And one of the best ways to do that is by educating ourselves. While depression manifests itself in various forms here are a few signs that you should watch out for:

A Bleak Outlook

Often people suffering from this disorder lose interest in almost everything, even activities that earlier used to be a source of joy. At times, depression kills all motivation to even get out of the bed as life gets overtaken by feelings like ‘What’s the point of all this?’.

Change In Eating Patterns

Comfort food usually raises the levels of serotonin, a mood-boosting chemical, which may lead to emotional eating and eventual weight gain. But at the same time those suffering may lose appetite which usually results in drastic weight-loss.

Grouchy Or Grumpy

Depression may make you prone to feeling irritable or fly off the handle over petty things. For those afflicted with the disorder, day to day functioning gets harder which adds to these negative emotions.

Diminished Ability To Think

Depression makes it hard to go through every day activities. Simple decisions, like getting dressed or choosing breakfast, become overwhelming.

Suicidal Thoughts

Those suffering from major depression may start contemplating suicide. It is a common misconception that people planning to commit suicide never tell anybody of their plans. In fact, they do. Keep your ears open if somebody is expressing thoughts such as ‘things will be better once they’re gone’ or that ‘they don’t care if they live or die’.

If you know someone close to you who is displaying such symptoms, then help them get help. Ask them questions and if they don’t answer the first few times then #DobaraPoocho, so that they can travel the road to good mental health. For more information click here.

Disclaimer: Images from #DobaraPoocho campaign have been used for representative purposes only .